The national capital got its new chief minister as Aam Aadmi Parꦚty's firefighter Atishi Marlena Singh took oath as the CM at the Raj Niwas on Saturday. CM designate Atishi was nominated by AAP chief Arvind Ke꧙jriwal as his replacement.
Atishi on Saturday became the 17th female chief minister of the country and only the third of the natio💦nal capital after Sushma Swaraj and Sheila Dixit.
"First of all, I would like to thank Arvind Kejriwal for trusting me and giving me such a big responsibility to serve people of Delhi. I have taken oath as Delhi🍎 CM, however, it is a very emotional moment for us as Arvind Kejriwal is no longer CM. He is a person who has changed the image of Delhi in the last 10 years," said Delhi CM Atishi at a press conference after taking the oath.
"People of Delhi w๊ill have to do one thing, that is, to make Arvind Kejriwal CM again in the upcoming Assembly elections that will be held in February n🍷ext year. If people don't make Arvind Kejriwal their CM, then BJP will stop the facility of free electricity through conspiracy", she further added.
The chief minister's new Council of Ministers has retained four faces -- Gopal Rai, Kailash Gahlot, Saurabh Bhar☂adwaj, and Imran Hussain -- while one new face has been introduced and it is that of Sultanpur Majra MLA Mukesh Ahlawat.
Officials from Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena's office said that President Droupadi Murmu has appointed Atishi as Delhi's chief minister from the date of her swearing-in, while also accepting Arvind Kejriwal's𒀰 res🌜ignation.
The appointment of the꧃ five ministers in Atishi's Council was also cleared by the President.
Atishi's name for Chief Minister came days after Kejriwal was released from Tihar Jail in the excise-policy linked CBI case. He 🉐walked out of prison on Septe﷽mber 13 following the Supreme Court's judgment which granted him bail in the case.
Two days later, the AAP chief had announced that he would step down from the CM's post and will return when everyone b🌠elieves that he iꩵs innocent.
According to an AAP leader, the oath-taking ceremony will be a small-scale one as the mood within the party is not that upbeat given Kejriwal's resignation and also the delays in approvals, lea𒁏ving very little time for preparations.
Notably, the tenure of At📖ishi's governme🗹nt will be short as the Assembly polls in the national capital are due in February, 2025.
The to-be CM faces critical challenges now 🥂as she has to lead cabinet meetings and expedite crucial projects and policies such as the Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Yojana, Electric Vehicle Policy 2.0 and doorstep delivery of services among others.
Before bei🗹ng proposed as the CM face, Atishi held 13 portfolios in outgoing Kejriwal government, i♌ncluding that of water, power, finance, revenue, PWD, and education.
AAP sources were cited by news agency PTI as saying that the four retained ministers in Atishi's Council are likely to retain their portfolios as well, while the new face -- Ahlawat -- could be allotted those lying vacant after the resignation of minister Ra🌟aj Kumar Anand in April this year.
Atishi's rise from adviser to the Delhi government to a prominent cabiꦏnet member in the absence of senior AAP leaders has been described as "phenomenal" and "meteoric".
A key founding member of the Aam Aadmi Party, Atishi is known for her articulate advocac🤪y a🉐nd steadfast voice for the party's principles.
Atishi has been lauded for her work for the AAP since her association with the party in 2012. Given her strong track record and close alignment with Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Si🎀sodia, Atishi's Chief Ministerial promotion is no🌃t a surprising one.
