The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) announced on Thursday that Atishi, along with her cabinet, will be sworn in as the new Chief Minister of Delhi on September 21. This date was recommended by Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena in a letter to the President, which also included Arvind Kejriwal’s resignation.
Kejriwal resigned as Chief Minister on Tuesday, after which Atishi laid claim to form a new government in Delhi. She will be the third woman to hold the position of Delhi Chief Minister, following Sheila Dikshit from the Congress and Sushma Swaraj from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Atishi will be required to prove her majority in the Delhi Assembly during a session scheduled for September 26-27. In Kejriwal’s cabinet, she was responsible for 14 key portfolios, including finance, education, and revenue, and had a prominent role in running the government during Kejriwal’s imprisonment.
News agency PTI reported that sources from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said that all current ministers will remain in the new Delhi Cabinet under Atishi’s leadership. Gopal Rai, Kailash Gehlot, Saurabh Bharadwaj, and Imran Hussain will continue in their existing positions. Moreover, two new members are likely to join the government, with Karol Bagh MLA Vishesh Ravi and Kondli MLA Kuldeep Kumar being considered as potential candidates.
Arvind Kejriwal’s resignation follows his arrest over alleged irregularities in Delhi’s liquor policy, a case that also involved former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia. Sisodia, who had been in jail for 18 months, has pledged to run for re-election after being granted bail. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) maintains that Sisodia’s arrest is part of a ‘political conspiracy’ orchestrated by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Atishi has vowed to continue efforts toward securing Kejriwal’s return to office. “I will work with just one goal. We have to make Arvind Kejriwal the Chief Minister of Delhi once again,” she said after her new post was announced.
She expressed gratitude to Kejriwal for his trust in her leadership, saying, “I come from an ordinary family. Had I been in any other party, perhaps I would not have been given even an election ticket. But Arvind Kejriwal trusted me, made me an MLA [legislator] and a minister and today, gave me the responsibility of the Chief Minister.”
First Published: Sep 19 2024 | 1:42 PM IST
