AAP’s Arvind Kejriwal apologises for quitting as Delhi chief minister, seeks fresh elections

Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday apologised to the people for resigning as the Delhi chief minister and said his party is ready to contest fresh polls.

Kejriwal served as Delhi’s CM for merely 49 days and quit on February 14 when his government failed to get the lokpal bill – his party’s pet project – passed in the assembly after making a spectacular debut in the Capital’s elections.

“In the next 7-10 days, we will hold a number of meetings in Delhi… We will apologise to the people of Delhi and (seek) complete mandate so that we can form a government for five years,” Kejriwal told reporters.

He said the anger of the country’s people against his party is justified saying it will go to polls and ask for their forgiveness and win them back.

Kejriwal ruled out the possibility of holding a public referendum in Delhi.

The AAP leader also accepted its chances of forming a government in the Capital at the time are negligible.

Kejriwal met senior party members at his residence to discuss the party’s future course of action on forming a government in Delhi.

The announcement comes just days after the conclusion of the Lok Sabha elections in which the AAP won four parliamentary seats in Punjab but failed in Delhi where it had sent 28 MLAs in the 70-member assembly.

The AAP had on Tuesday told Lt Governor Najeeb Jung that it wants to form the government in Delhi, and asked him not to dissolve the legislative assembly for a week.

In a letter to the L-G, the AAP said it will hold public meetings in Delhi to obtain people’s opinion on forming the government.