New Delhi's top elected official resigns after being released on bail in corruption case

NEW DELHI (AP) — One of India's leading opposition figures resigned Tuesday as chief minister of New Delhi, days after he was released from jail on bail in a corruption case.

Arvind Kejriwal, a vocal critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was arrested in March on charges of taking bribes from a liquor distributor. Kejriwal has consistently denied the charges, calling them a political conspiracy.

Opposition parties have broadly condemned Kejriwal’s politically motivated arrest, accusing Modi’s government of misusing federal investigative agencies to harass and undermine its political opponents. They have pointed to raids, arrests and corruption investigations against key opposition figures in the months leading up to the elections.

On Tuesday, Kejriwal's Aam Admi (People's Party) party chose her ally Atishi as its successor. A close aide to Kejriwal, she uses only one name.

Atishi, 43, is responsible for the key portfolios of finance, education and women and child protection.

Kejriwal submitted his resignation to Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena after serving in the post for over nine years. He said he would resume office only if people voted for him in the upcoming Delhi assembly elections. He demanded that the elections, scheduled for February next year, be brought forward to November.

India's Supreme Court on Friday ordered his release on bail, saying his trial would likely take time but said he would not be allowed to meet witnesses in the case or visit his office, and that the capital's governor must review some of his decisions as chief minister.

The government has accused Kejriwal's party and ministers of accepting 1 billion rupees ($12 million) in bribes from a liquor distributor nearly two years ago in exchange for changing its liquor sales policy in its favor.

Two key ministers in Kejriwal's government, Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh, were also arrested. They had been released on bail earlier.

Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) reminded Kejriwal's jubilant supporters that their leader was out on bail, not acquitted. The party demanded Kejriwal's resignation immediately after his arrest.

Political analysts say Kejriwal must accept that the corruption charge has tarnished his party's aura.

Kejriwal's party came to power on the back of an anti-corruption wave. The party's symbol – a broom – and its promise to sweep away corruption from the bureaucracy resonated with New Delhi residents fed up with soaring inflation and weak economic growth.

“Kejriwal is a very weakened politician today. The resignation is a desperate attempt to limit his losses and hopefully regain some of his old enthusiasm,” R. Jagannathan, a political analyst, wrote in a news article published on Monday.

Kejriwal's party is part of a broad alliance of opposition parties called INDIA and was the main opponent of Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party in the June elections. Modi's BJP failed to win an absolute majority, but formed a government with the help of its allies.