Atishi to be next Delhi Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal proposes name
NEW DELHI, SEPT 17 : Delhi minister Atishi pipped Kailash Gahlot to become the next Delhi Chief Minister, two days after Arvind Kejriwal said he would step down from the top post. 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 would take oath during a special Assembly session, which would be held on September 26-27.
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.
An Oxford University alumnus and a Rhodes scholar, Atishi is considered close to Kejriwal and former deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia.
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 key portfolios like 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.
-PTI
