Atishi to succeed Arvind Kejriwal as next Delhi Chief Minister

The AAP has picked Atishi to succeed Arvind Kejriwal as Delhi Chief Minister, sources told India Today. She was among the two names shortlisted by the party. Kailash Gahlot, Transport & Environment Minister, was another contender. However, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal proposed the name of Atishi as the new CM. She has been elected as the leader of Delhi AAP Legislative Party. 

India Today reported that the oath-taking ceremony will be held before the Assembly session commences. 

Atishi, sitting MLA from Kalkaji and a trusted lieutenant of Kejriwal, was a key member of the Manifesto Drafting Committee of AAP for the 2013 assembly elections and played a crucial role in shaping the party during its early stages. 

The AAP leader holds several key portfolios namely Finance, Planning, PWD, Water, Power, Education, Higher Education, TTE, Services, Public Relation, and Vigilance. Atishi oversees 11 portfolios, the highest number of departments a minister holds in the Delhi government right now.

The Kalkaji MLA took oath as a minister on March 9, 2023, following a cabinet reshuffle. She was sworn in as minister in March alongside Saurabh Bharadwaj after former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and former health minister Satyendar Jain tendered their resignations following their arrests in separate cases. 

Atishi’s importance can be gauzed from the fact that Arvind Kejriwal in a letter to the Delhi LG VK Saxena, suggested that she will hoist the national flag in his place during the Delhi government’s Independence Day programme. 

The AAP MLA has been at the forefront as a spokesperson of AAP and led from the front weather be it the Delhi water crisis or the high-profile Swati Maliwal assault case.