Arvind Kejriwal quits as Chief Minister, Atishi stakes claim to form government

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday met Lt Governor VK Saxena and tendered his resignation as the Chief Minister of Delhi.

Senior AAP leader and minister Atishi, who was chosen by the party legislators to be the next Chief Minister, met the Lt Governor to stake claim to the post. Speaking to the media after meeting the Lt Governor, Atishi said, “This is the first time in the democratic history of the world that a Chief Minister has decided that the decision of the Supreme Court is not enough for him. Until the court of the people gives its verdict, he will not sit on the Chief Minister’s chair.”

“The people of Delhi want to see Arvind Kejriwal ji as the Chief Minister, so they have vowed to make him win in the next elections too. The whole Delhi is saddened by Kejriwal’s resignation,” she added. Atishi’s name was proposed by Kejriwal at the meeting of the legislature party, and it was unanimously accepted by the AAP MLAs. Sources said there would be no Deputy Chief Minister and Atishi, who represents the Kalkaji constituency, would take oath during a special Assembly session on September 26-27.

Speaking on her appointment, Delhi minister Gopal Rai said, “The responsibility has been given to Atishi in testing times. Agencies were being misused against AAP to destabilise the government. AAP has frustrated these attempts.” Rai said Atishi, who has been with the AAP since its inception, had two major responsibilities — to work for the two crore people of Delhi and stop the BJP’s conspiracies.

Kejriwal, who was granted bail in the liquor policy case last week, sent shockwaves through Delhi’s political circles after announcing on September 15 that he would resign in two days.

WHO IS ATISHI?
An Oxford University alumna and a Rhodes scholar, Atishi is considered close to Kejriwal and former deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, under whom she worked as an advisor till 2018. In fact, Atishi’s importance can be gauged from the fact that Kejriwal, in a letter to Lt Governor VK Saxena, had recommended Atishi to hoist the national flag in his place during the Delhi government’s Independence Day programme.

Apart from being the only woman minister in the Delhi Cabinet, she is also in charge of 14 portfolios, including education, finance, public works department, revenue and services.

Atishi, known to work behind the scenes, became a household name as she became the face of the party after the arrest of Kejriwal and top AAP leaders in the liquor policy case. After Kejriwal’s arrest on March 21, Atishi was a regular at press conferences, defending the AAP chief and articulating the government’s stand.