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Arvind Kejriwal

About Arvind Kejriwal

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Who is Arvind Kejriwal

Who is Arvind Kejriwal?
Arvind Kejriwal is a former bureaucrat turned politician and the current Chief Minister (CM) of Delhi. Known for his grassroots activism, the Right to Information (RTI) movement, and governance reforms, Kejriwal is the founder and national convener of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), a political party established in 2012 focusing on anti-corruption and government transparency. He came into the limelight after receiving the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Emergent Leadership in 2006.
 
Education
Arvind Kejriwal was born on August 16, 1968, in Siwani, Haryana. He completed his schooling from Campus School in Hisar and graduated in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur in 1989. After working briefly in the private sector, Kejriwal joined the Indian Revenue Service (IRS) in 1995. He later resigned from his IRS position in 2006 to dedicate himself fully to social activism and public service.
 
Political journey
Kejriwal's political journey began with his involvement in the India Against Corruption movement, led by activist Anna Hazare in 2011. The movement sought the enactment of the Jan Lokpal Bill, an anti-corruption legislation. Inspired by the movement's potential and the public's desire for clean governance, Kejriwal founded the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in 2012.
 
In 2013, AAP contested the Delhi Legislative Assembly elections and won 28 out of 70 seats. Kejriwal became the Chief Minister of Delhi but resigned after 49 days, citing the inability to pass the Jan Lokpal Bill due to lack of support. However, in the 2015 Delhi Assembly elections, AAP achieved a landslide victory, winning 67 of 70 seats, and Kejriwal was re-elected as Chief Minister. He was re-elected again in 2020 after another decisive win. He represents the New Delhi constituency in the Delhi Legislative Assembly.
 
In 2014, Kejriwal unsuccessfully contested against the BJP’s then prime ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi, from Varanasi in UP. Kejriwal and his government have been at constant loggerheads with the Narendra Modi government and the Delhi Lieutenant-Governor, over issues revolving around public appointments, the responsibility of the UT and the Centre, among others.
 
Kejriwal is seen as an important leader for galvanising Opposition forces against the BJP and its allies.
 
CM of Delhi
During his tenure as Chief Minister, Kejriwal has focused on key areas such as education, healthcare, water, electricity, and infrastructure. His government introduced the Mohalla Clinics initiative, providing accessible healthcare to residents across Delhi. The education sector saw significant reforms, including the improvement of public school infrastructure and the introduction of happiness and entrepreneurship curriculums.
 
Kejriwal's administration also worked on providing free water up to 20,000 liters per month per household and subsidised electricity rates, making these utilities more affordable for the citizens. His efforts in improving public transportation and environmental measures, such as the Odd-Even scheme to reduce air pollution, have been notable.
 
Excise duty case and arrest
Kejriwal has been embroiled in an excise duty case that led to his arrest. The case revolves around alleged irregularities and corruption in formulating and implementing Delhi's excise policy. Authorities claim that there were procedural lapses and financial misappropriations that benefited private entities at the cost of the state exchequer.
 
Kejriwal and his party have vehemently denied the allegations, labeling the charges as politically motivated. His arrest has sparked a debate on the political landscape, with supporters rallying behind him, accusing the central government of misusing its powers to target political opponents. The case is under investigation.

Latest Updates on Arvind Kejriwal

With the ECI's announcement of the election schedule, the Model Code of Conduct is now in effect and will remain so until the conclusion of the polls

Updated On: 07 Jan 2025 | 3:17 PM IST

BJP leader Bidhuri, who is fielded against Atishi in the upcoming Delhi Assembly polls, accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader of playing the victim card

Updated On: 07 Jan 2025 | 3:04 PM IST

Elections are the festival of democracy. The BJP has always respected the electoral process. The people of Delhi want to be free from the 'AAPda' named Arvind Kejriwal..., Chugh told ANI

Updated On: 07 Jan 2025 | 3:06 PM IST

Meanwhile, the BJP candidate from the Malviya Nagar Assembly constituency, Satish Upadhyay, asserted that the Election Commission of India would hold fair elections in the National Capital

Updated On: 07 Jan 2025 | 11:54 AM IST

Sachdeva further alleged that Delhi Chief Minister Atishi, Arvind Kejriwal, Sanjay Singh and Raghav Chadha are involved in the conspiracy to murder democracy

Updated On: 07 Jan 2025 | 10:46 AM IST

Sharpening his attack, Gupta further stated that AAP leaders don't follow any law and indulge in corruption openly

Updated On: 07 Jan 2025 | 7:43 AM IST

Sanjay Singh said that the CAG report comes in a sealed cover and has yet not been tabled in the Assembly and BJP is using 'forged' documents to push its narrative

Updated On: 07 Jan 2025 | 7:10 AM IST

BJP leader Ramesh Bidhuri, during a public rally, made remarks, saying the Delhi chief minister has "changed fathers" as she used to be Marlena, but now she is Singh

Updated On: 06 Jan 2025 | 5:10 PM IST

ICMR emphasised that despite the detection of these two cases, there has been no significant increase in Influenza-Like Illness (ILI) or Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI) cases in the country

Updated On: 06 Jan 2025 | 2:10 PM IST

Addressing a press conference, the BJP's Delhi president Virendra Sachdeva said the report of 2022 cited an expenditure of Rs 33.86 crore on the 'Sheesh Mahal' but the actual cost was far higher

Updated On: 06 Jan 2025 | 12:55 PM IST

Modi on Sunday inaugurated a 13-kilometre stretch of the Delhi-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) corridor from Sahibabad in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad to New Ashok Nagar

Updated On: 06 Jan 2025 | 6:36 AM IST

Amid increasing poll promises ahead of Delhi elections, the spending choices of Congress and AAP regimes, and the fiscal challenges ahead for the next government

Updated On: 05 Jan 2025 | 10:47 PM IST

She further asserted that Kejriwal, who had previously claimed he would not accept any facilities such as a bungalow, car, or security, had reportedly spent the funds on personal luxuries instead

Updated On: 05 Jan 2025 | 7:21 PM IST

He cited the 'Sheeshmahal' as an example, referencing a report by a leading newspaper revealing excessive expenditure on the Delhi CM's residence, based on the CAG report

Updated On: 05 Jan 2025 | 6:37 PM IST

During a press conference, Kejriwal congratulated the people of Delhi and asserted that the projects were a collaboration between the city and the central governments

Updated On: 05 Jan 2025 | 5:27 PM IST

Delhi LG slammed the AAP government for callousness by not appointing a CEO of the Delhi Waqf Board, that resulted in Imams and Mutawallis, not getting salaries

Updated On: 04 Jan 2025 | 7:59 PM IST

The X platform has become a battleground for political parties, where they are using twists and turns to attract voters

Updated On: 04 Jan 2025 | 6:46 PM IST

Relations between AAP and the Congress, both partners in the opposition INDIA bloc, soured after the two sides failed to seal an alliance for the Haryana elections

Updated On: 04 Jan 2025 | 6:14 PM IST

Shah said he had suggested to Kejriwal on X that he should allow people of Delhi to take a tour of the "sheesh mahal" so that they could see what kind of home their chief minister lived in

Updated On: 04 Jan 2025 | 4:43 PM IST

In a press conference here, Kejriwal said that people were "distressed" due to water bills worth thousands and lakhs of rupees being sent to them by the Delhi Jal Board

Updated On: 04 Jan 2025 | 3:13 PM IST