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Delhi CM designate Atishi taking charge of head of AAP government. (AAP YouTube)
AAP’s Atishi took oath as chief minister of Delhi on Saturday evening, becoming the third woman to do so after Congress’ Sheila Dikshit and BJP’s Sushma Swaraj.
Atishi, 43, also earned the distinction of becoming the youngest chief minister of the Union Territory.
The ceremony took place at Raj Niwas, days after AAP Chief Arvind Kejriwal resigned from his position and vowed to return as the CM only after being re-elected.
Prior to her swearing-in, Atishi met with Kejriwal at his residence in Delhi, from where they left for Raj Niwas. Former Delhi deputy CM Manish Sisodia, Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora, and Delhi Chief Secretary Dharmendra were also present on the occasion.
Atishi’s tenure is expected to be short-lived as the Delhi Assembly term is set to end in the last week of February. With this, Atishi has become the 17th woman CM in India, joining the likes of Sushma Swaraj, Sheila Dikshit, Mamata Banerjee among others.
Besides the four existing AAP ministers, Atishi’s cabinet will have a new entrant: Sultanpur Majra MLA Mukesh Ahlawat, the party announced. On Friday evening, President Droupadi Murmu appointed Atishi as CM of National Capital Territory of Delhi, and accepted Kejriwal’s resignation.
The ceremony remained a subdued affair as it is learned that some AAP members are not very happy with Kejriwal’s decision, which came in the wake of him being investigated in the Delhi liquor policy case. After his six months of arrest, Kejriwal was released on an interim bail by the Supreme Court on September 13. Soon after, he announced that he would resign as the CM and would only return when the people of Delhi give him the “certificate of honesty” by electing him again.
Who is Atishi, the new Delhi CM?
Before she became the CM, Atishi held 13 portfolios, including finance, revenue, PWD, power and education. She was tasked with additional responsibilities after Sisodia was also jailed in the same case.
In the 2020 Delhi Assembly elections, Atishi won from the Kalkaji assembly seat. She had lost the 2019 Lok Sabha polls from East Delhi seat to cricketer-turned politician Gautam Gambhir. Previously, Atishi served as an advisor to Sisodia, who held the education portfolio. Born in 1981, Atishi has done her schooling from Delhi and also worked as an activist. Her parents are professors in University of Delhi. She has done her masters from Oxford University.
Notably, Atishi previously used to carry ‘Marlena’ as her surname, a portmanteau of Marx and Lenin. However, she dropped it after becoming active in politics as she wanted people to focus on her work. During the 2013 Assembly polls, Atishi was a key member of the Manifesto Drafting Committee for the newly formed AAP.
First Published: Sep 21 2024 | 4:43 PM IST
