 "Atishi Marlena, Atishi")
New Delhi: Delhi Minister Atishi addresses the media after a meeting of the AAP legislative party in which she was unanimously chosen unaniousmly as the next chief minister, in New Delhi, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (Photo: PTI)
The choice was made during a meeting of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislators today. Party leader Dilip Pandey reportedly suggested that Mr. Kejriwal choose the Chief Minister’s face during today’s AAP MLA meeting. All the AAP MLAs rose up and approved Atishi’s name when the party’s national convener suggested it, and she was chosen as the leader of the legislature party.
Who is Atishi Marlena?
Atishi was born on June 8, 1981. She was raised in a family of scholars in Delhi, and her parents, Tripta Wahi and Vijay Singh, are both professors at Delhi University. Atishi is married to Praveen Singh. He is an educationist and researcher. They both met in Delhi and have been doing social work for many years.
Because of her ideological background, Atishi was given the middle name “Marlena,” which is a combination of the names Marx and Lenin. In 2018, trying to shift the attention from her family background to her profession, she assumed the name Atishi in her public persona.
Her academic journey started in Delhi, where she finished high school at Springdales School on Pusa Road. Atishi attended the esteemed St. Stephen’s College to complete her undergraduate studies in 2001.
She later went to Oxford University, where she studied history and received a master’s degree on a Chevening scholarship in 2003. In 2005, she was awarded a Rhodes scholarship and attended Magdalen College.
Atishi’s involvement in the politics
When Atishi joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in January 2013, her political career officially got underway. She had a significant impact on the creation of policies in the AAP, drawing from her knowledge and experience from the Indian Anti-Corruption Movement.
Her involvement in the Jal Satyagraha in Khandwa district, Madhya Pradesh, in 2015 brought her prominence as she stood behind AAP leader Alok Agarwal during the protests and the subsequent legal disputes.
Atishi in the Delhi politics
In the lead-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Atishi was appointed the party’s in-charge for East Delhi. She ran in the elections but was defeated, coming third behind Gautam Gambhir of the BJP by a margin of 4.77 lakh votes.
The elections for the Delhi Legislative Assembly in 2020 were a turning point in her political career. Atishi, running from the South Delhi constituency of Kalkaji, defeated Dharambir Singh, the BJP candidate, by a margin of 11,422 votes. Her success in this battle helped her to rise to prominence in the Delhi government.
Atishi’s role in the Delhi government
After winning the election, Atishi was appointed as a Cabinet Minister in the Delhi government, taking over the positions left vacant by Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Health Minister Satyender Jain’s resignations.
She was the chairman in the Public Accounts Committee in 2022–2023 and participated in a number of other committees, such as those that dealt with education, women and child welfare, and minority welfare.
First Published: Sep 17 2024 | 2:53 PM IST
