A day after his release from Tihar Jail, Arvind Kejriwal announced that he would resign from the post of the Delhi chief minister. Earlier in the day, he announced that senior AAP leader Atishi will be Delhi’s new chief minister after the party unanimously agreed on Tuesday. Kejriwal will meet Lt Governor VK Saxena at Raj Niwas at 4.30 pm to tender his resignation as chief minister, paving the way for Atishi's appointment as his successor.
After Kejriwal's resignation, a delegation of AAP legislators will meet the lieutenant governor to stake claim for the formation of a new government led by Atishi, party leader Gopal Rai told reporters.
Amid these developments, take a look at all the chief ministers who resigned mid-term in the last few years.
March 2020: Kamal Nath, Madhya Pradesh
Just ahead of a Supreme Court-mandated floor test, Kamal Nath resigned as the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh as the government fell short of numbers in the Assembly. During that time he told reporters that he had decided to step down from the post. However, he will continue working for the people despite his post.
After Kamal Nath's resignation, BJP leader Shivraj Singh Chouhan returned as the chief minister of the state.
March 2021: Trivendra Singh Rawat, Uttarakhand
Just 9 days before completing four years as head of a BJP government in Uttarakhand, Trivendra Singh Rawat resigned as chief minister in March 2021, saying the time had come to pass on the baton.
Giving reasions for his resignation, Rawat said a collective decision was made and he decided to step down.
July 2021: Tirath Singh Rawat, Uttarakhand
In less than four months later, Tirath Singh Rawat, who had replaced Trivendra Singh Rawat as the Uttarakhand chief minister also resigned from the post of chief minister. And soon after submitting his resignation, Tirath said after considering the constitutional crisis, he found it appropriate to resign.
July 2021: B S Yediyurappa, Karnataka
Senior BJP leader BS Yediyurappa also resigned as the Karnataka chief minister after months of speculations in Karnataka’s political circles.
Soon after resignation, Yediyurappa said there has been no coercion from anyone in Delhi and he voluntarily decided to resign on the occasion of the second anniversary of the government.
September 2021: Vijay Rupani, Gujarat
Veteran BJP leader Vijay Rupani also resigned from the post of Gujarat chief minister in September 2021, becoming the fourth chief minister to do so in the year. Notably, he resigned as the Gujarat chief minister, saying this is an “opportunity” for the party’s new leadership to take over.
February 2024: Hemant Soren, Jharkhand
Just before Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate over an alleged land scan, he submitted his resignation as the head of government in the state. The incident marked the end of days of drama between Soren and the investigative agency – from the ED searching his Delhi residence to his party lashing out over his image being “maligned”.
September 2024: Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi
Arvind Kejriwal followed suit and is all set to resign as Delhi chief minister on September 17 at 4:30 PM. Before his resignation, he chose Atishi as the next Delhi chief minister.
