Discharged and unleashed: The new chapter for Arvind Kejriwal

This development sets the stage for Kejriwal’s return to Delhi's political scene, where he is expected to challenge established parties and potentially fragment the opposition

Checks and Balances - Kejriwal

Arvind Kejriwal has survived another battle, and this one could be a defining one. Just a year after his humiliating defeat in Delhi, a CBI court has discharged him in the infamous liquor case.

Since losing Delhi, Kejriwal appeared to be in self-imposed exile, as he had made party-ruled Punjab his second home, staying close to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, accompanying him at official functions and inaugurating projects. Many saw him as a de facto chief minister in the border state.

Though the CBI is likely to challenge the sessions court order, running into 598 pages, in the Delhi High Court, the 13-year-old party is ecstatic, as two of its founders, including Manish Sisodia, have been discharged.

The discharge in the liquor case has now provided him with an opportunity to return to Delhi’s politics and to the national conversation.

Now, all eyes will be on his ‘return’. And if he does return, Kejriwal will pose a direct challenge to his successor, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, who is still finding her feet in the capital. The vintage Kejriwal, known for his persistent attacks, is likely to prove a headache for the BJP, which had jailed him, pinned corruption charges on him, and used the Sheesh Mahal controversy against him before defeating him at the polls.

But more than the BJP, it is the Congress that should be more worried about his return.

Kejriwal's rise has closely tracked the decline of the Congress in several states — beginning with Delhi, then Punjab, and then Gujarat. When the Congress chose to stay out of an alliance with the AAP in Delhi and Haryana, the BJP returned to power with bigger margins.

Both the AAP and the Congress draw from largely the same voter base. The difference is that the AAP under Kejriwal is far more agile. It deploys its organisation with greater commitment and maintains a visible street presence, allowing it to capture the opposition space quickly. In both Delhi and Punjab, the AAP won by decimating the Congress, offering voters the promise of clean governance and a break from established parties.

In Delhi, the AAP eventually became the establishment. It grew comfortable with power and was increasingly seen as far removed from the movement that created it. A party founded on anti-corruption and simple living could not have imagined an opulent official residence for its chief minister. The irony is that, had the Congress or the BJP built the same residence, it would barely have raised an eyebrow. It was Kejriwal’s own image — the muffler man in sandals, the activist who emerged from a movement — that made it so damaging.

This April marks 15 years since the anti-corruption movement that gave birth to the AAP. It may also be a moment for Kejriwal to pause and reorient. The discharge in the case has given him that opening. He has shown before that he keeps his ear to the ground and can reinvent himself when needed.

Indian politics has often rewarded leaders who went to jail and walked out with their reputations intact. Being based in Delhi and remaining ideologically flexible gives Kejriwal the room to attract fresh attention. Those opposed to the BJP, whether at the centre or in the states, may once again find him an appealing option.

But his resurgence will also mean further fragmentation of the opposition, unless they find reason to set aside their differences for a larger cause. Will Rahul Gandhi and Arvind Kejriwal shake hands?