New Delhi: AAP leader Atishi Marlena is set to be sworn in as Delhi’s youngest Chief Minister on Saturday, alongside five MLAs who will join the new council of ministers.
The oath-taking ceremony is scheduled to be a subdued event at Raj Bhavan at 4:30 pm.
Atishi will be accompanied by seasoned AAP members Gopal Rai, Kailash Gahlot, Saurabh Bharadwaj, and Imran Hussain in the swearing-in. Additionally, Mukesh Ahlawat, a first-time MLA from Sultanpur Majra and a prominent Dalit figure in AAP, will join the Delhi Cabinet.
The distribution of portfolios in the new council of ministers is yet to be announced. In the previous Kejriwal administration, Atishi managed 13 significant portfolios, including finance, revenue, public works, power, and education.
Atishi was unanimously elected as the Chief Minister designate during the AAP legislature party meeting on Tuesday, following Arvind Kejriwal’s resignation from the position, which sent shockwaves through Delhi’s political circles.
The move by the AAP chief came shortly after the Supreme Court granted him bail in a corruption case connected to the alleged Delhi liquor policy scam.
With the Assembly elections in Delhi scheduled for February next year, Kejriwal has stated he will only return to the Chief Minister’s office if the voters grant him a “certificate of honesty”.
Atishi, an alumna of Oxford University and a Rhodes Scholar, will also be distinguished as only the third female Chief Minister of the national capital, following Sushma Swaraj and Sheila Dikshit.
Atishi’s journey from an adviser in 2015 to an MLA in 2020, and her recent elevation to Chief Minister in 2024, highlight her swift rise within the AAP. Initially gaining attention as an adviser to the former Education Minister, Manish Sisodia, she has been recognized for her substantial contributions to the improvement of Delhi’s government schools.
Yet, with her short term as Chief Minister, Atishi faces a challenging agenda.
In addition to readying the party for the upcoming critical elections, her administration must expedite the implementation of pending welfare initiatives, including the Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Yojana, Electric Vehicle Policy 2.0, and the doorstep delivery of services.
