<div style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;"><b>Firebrand Indian politician Arvind Kejriwal has hit the ground running since his surprise release from detention in the midst of a contentious general election, energising the opposition as it challenges Prime Minister Narendra Modi.</b></span><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Supreme Court gave 55-year-old Kejriwal, who is also the chief minister of the national capital territory of Delhi, bail in a graft case on May 10 and he wasted no time in getting on the campaign trail.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“I have only one request from you, we all have to come together to save the country from dictatorship. I am fighting this dictatorship with all my might,” he told a jubilant crowd soon after walking out of Delhi’s Tihar jail, clearly referring to Modi.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Kejriwal is part of the INDIA alliance led by the Congress party and one of its biggest crowd-pullers.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Analysts say while his campaigning will give fresh impetus to the opposition, they are unsure if that will translate into any significant victories against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is tipped to return to power.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is in power in the Delhi region and in the northern state of Punjab, which together account for just 20 seats in parliament, out of the 543 being contested.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“He may be able to generate some sympathy vote, but would that be enough to change the outcome of the election?” said Rahul Verma, a fellow at the New Delhi-based Centre for Policy Research think tank.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“The BJP led in Delhi by 20 percentage points on an average in each seat, so it needs a substantial amount of swing for BJP to start losing seats in Delhi,” Verma added.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Still, Kejriwal has the ability to embarrass the BJP.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A day after his release, he said Modi, central to the ruling party’s campaign, would not be prime minister beyond 2025 when he turns 75, and would hand over the reins to home (interior) minister Amit Shah, reports Reuters</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Modi made the rule in BJP that whoever turns 75 will be retired. So I ask BJP, who will be your prime minister?” Kejriwal said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Modi is not seeking for votes for himself, but for Amit Shah … who will fulfil Modi’s guarantees then?”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The BJP scrambled to deny the suggestion that flag-bearer Modi would retire.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd/fas</div>