'Will quit politics if they win over 10 seats...': Kejriwal challenges BJP to call fresh Delhi polls after acquittal in liquor policy case

Arvind Kejriwal challenged the BJP to hold fresh Delhi Assembly elections after being discharged in the excise policy case, vowing to quit politics if it wins more than 10 seats. A Delhi court cleared Kejriwal and 22 others, ruling that the CBI failed to provide sufficient evidence to proceed with prosecution in the liquor policy case.

Former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday threw down the gauntlet to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), daring it to call fresh Assembly elections in the capital and vowing to quit politics if it wins more than 10 seats.

Speaking hours after being discharged in the Delhi excise policy case, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor said his acquittal had exposed what he described as a politically motivated prosecution.

“I challenge Modi ji. If you have the courage, hold elections in Delhi again. If you get more than ten seats, I will quit politics,” Kejriwal said at a press conference. “The people of Delhi are fed up with you people.”

Court discharges 23 accused

Earlier in the day, a special court at Rouse Avenue cleared Kejriwal, former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and 21 others in the Delhi liquor policy case. The court sharply criticised the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), ruling that the prosecution had failed to back its claims with credible evidence.

All 23 accused, including former BRS leader K Kavitha, were discharged. The court held that allegations of a larger conspiracy and criminal intent did not withstand judicial scrutiny.

Kejriwal said the nearly 600-page order found “not even a shred of evidence to even prosecute this case”.

“The court had to decide whether there was sufficient material to prosecute,” he said, noting that the trial had not begun. “If there was any substance in this, the trial would go on for fifteen or twenty years… The court said it was a frivolous case, so fake, so useless, so wrong. I’m not saying this. These are the court’s words.”

Direct attack on Modi and Shah

In a scathing attack, Kejriwal accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah of orchestrating a conspiracy to remove AAP from power in Delhi.

“This entire conspiracy was hatched by two people – Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, and today they should both apologise to the entire nation,” he said. “They conspired together to destroy the Aam Aadmi Party.”

He added that no one should “play with the country and the Constitution in this way” for the sake of power and urged the Prime Minister to focus on governing rather than “trying to destroy and malign” political opponents.

Kejriwal reiterated that both the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had filed charge sheets, but maintained that the case lacked substance from the outset.

Political backdrop

The discharge comes against the backdrop of a dramatic shift in Delhi’s political landscape. The BJP returned to power in the capital last year, winning 48 of the 70 Assembly seats. AAP, which had secured sweeping mandates in 2015 (67 seats) and 2020 (62 seats), was reduced to 22 seats in 2025.

Kejriwal claimed that Delhi had “been ruined” since the BJP assumed office last February and said the “lust for power” had cost the city’s three crore residents dearly.

The Delhi liquor policy case

The Delhi liquor policy case centres on the AAP government’s 2021–22 excise policy. The CBI and ED alleged that the policy was crafted to favour select private liquor businesses.

Investigators claimed that a group referred to as the “South Group” paid around Rs 100 crore in kickbacks to AAP leaders. According to the CBI, retail profit margins were increased from 5 per cent to 12 per cent to facilitate the alleged arrangement.

The case originated from a July 2022 report by the Delhi Chief Secretary citing procedural irregularities. Following this, Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena recommended a CBI inquiry.

Manish Sisodia was arrested in February 2023, and Kejriwal was taken into custody in March 2024. Both later secured bail from the Supreme Court.

The controversy became a central plank of the BJP’s campaign during the 2025 Delhi Assembly elections and significantly dented AAP’s image.

Welcoming the court’s decision, Kejriwal said justice had prevailed and thanked his legal team, including senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, for their efforts.