Arvind Kejriwal back in Tihar Jail No. 2, waiting for his date with destiny

It was an emotional day for Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal – June 2, when his 21-day interim bail to campaign for the just-concluded Lok Sabha elections expired. 

For the last few days, Kejriwal had been making emotional pleas, virtually begging the court, to get his interim bail extended by a mere seven days so he could get some medical tests done, suspecting a “serious underlying disease” for his unexplained sudden weight loss since being jailed in March on charges related to the Delhi liquor policy scam.

But the Supreme Court refused an urgent listing of his plea. Now, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has challenged the plea, saying that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo’s health never once stopped him from campaigning whole-heartedly for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Accompanied by a battery of AAP ministers, Kejriwal entered the heavily-guarded compound of Tihar Jail at 5pm on June 2, but not before taking a parting shot at the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA): “They are not forming government on June 4.”

Now in his private cell in Tihar Jail's No. 2 barrack, Kejriwal will be glued to his television set for the next two days to see if his prediction holds true. The results of the elections are due to be announced on June 4. And the next day, the court will pronounce its order on the 7-day bail plea.

“I want to tell the people of Delhi – your son is returning to jail today. This is not because I am involved in any corruption, but because I have raised my voice against dictatorship,” Kejriwal told his party workers at the AAP headquarters minutes before surrendering himself to jail authorities.

“During (Lok Sabha election) campaigning, the PM accepted that they don’t have any proof against me. They have raided more than 500 places but have not recovered a single penny,” he said, as patriotic songs and chants of “Kejriwal Zindabad (long live Kejriwal)” filled the air.

He further told his supporters not to lose heart over the exit polls, most of which have predicted a thumping win for the ruling alliance, saying: “These exit polls are mind games to drive you into depression.”

“All these exit polls are fake. One exit poll gave 33 seats to BJP in Rajasthan, whereas there are only 25 seats there. The real issue is why they had to do a fake exit poll three days before the day of counting. There are several theories regarding this, one of them is that they are trying to manipulate the machines (EVMs),” Kejriwal said.

He urged parties across the INDIA bloc to remain vigilant during the vote-counting process, emphasizing the importance of counting agents staying until the end.

In a video statement released through his wife, Sunita Kejriwal, the Delhi CM expressed his concern for his supporters. “I will be worried about you inside the jail. If you are happy, then your Kejriwal will also be happy in jail.”

Before surrendering, Kejriwal, along with his wife Sunita Kejriwal and children, visited Rajghat memorial to pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi, drawing inspiration from the Father of the Nation’s fight against dictatorship. He also visited the Hanuman Temple in central Delhi’s Connaught Place. 

“I paid obeisance at Rajghat. Gandhiji is our inspiration for ending dictatorship. I went to the Hanuman Mandir. I have the blessings of Bajrangbali. June 4 is Tuesday. Bajrangbali will destroy dictatorship.” Kejriwal said.

After touching his parents’ feet and waving them a final goodbye, the Delhi CM sped off alongside a massive convoy of vehicles carrying AAP leaders accompanying him for his surrender.

In a post on X, sharing visuals of the party leader’s final moments with his family, AAP wrote in Hindi: “Bharat Mata’s brave son Arvind Kejriwal ji took blessings from his parents and hugged his children before going to jail to save democracy. Kejriwal will not bow down to dictatorship."