From holding fort for AAP to running Delhi govt, the rise and rise of new CM Atishi

Delhi New CM Atishi Marlena: Delhi is all set to get a new Chief Minister, Atishi Marlena Singh, the youngest person to assume the top post in the national capital.

The decision came a day after Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal held one-on-one meetings with key leaders and discussions with members of AAP’s Political Affairs Committee (PAC). The AAP supremo’s ultimate pick was Atishi.

Even before the announcement was made, Atishi, 43-year-old, was the first name discussed as a CM probable. Other candidates in the race were Kailash Gahlot, Gopal Rai, Saurabh Bhardwaj and Sunita, Arvind Kejriwal’s wife. Atishi, the only woman in the Delhi Cabinet, was at the helm of the Delhi government when AAP was wading through troubled waters.

Also Read: Atishi to replace Arvind Kejriwal as Delhi CM, elected leader of AAP Legislative Party

She became the face of the party during crisis as she took centerstage after AAP’s commander-in-charge Kejriwal and second in command Manish Sisodia were sent to jail. Atishi, alongside Saurabh Bhardwaj, led the government’s charge during the Lok Sabha elections. She also had maximum media appearances among her colleagues in Delhi, making her a household name.

In June, she sat on an indefinite hunger strike against the Haryana government for not releasing 100 million gallons per day of water, creating a water crisis in the national capital. She had to be hospitalised after her health condition deteriorated.

Exponential rise among party ranks

In 2015, just days before AAP expelled its founding members Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav, Atishi’s position appeared uncertain due to her perceived closeness to the two leaders. Anticipating she might align with Bhushan and Yadav, the party removed her from its list of spokespersons. However, within days, Atishi penned a letter to the two leaders, criticizing them for not attempting to resolve internal differences. She then publicly backed Kejriwal, going on to serve as an advisor to Manish Sisodia in the Education Department.

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An Oxford University alumnus and a Rhodes scholar, Atishi has worked extensively in the AAP’s flagship exercise to overhaul education in Delhi’s schools.

Atishi’s stint as Sisodia’s advisor came to an end in 2018 after the Union Ministry of Home Affairs objected to the Delhi government’s appointment of 10 advisors, saying that proper procedure was not followed.

However, she continued to remain an indomitable name in the party. She was part of a group in the AAP that worked on policy and its implementation.

She got into active politics when AAP decided to field her against BJP’s Gautam Gambhir in East Delhi in 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Even though she lost, a year later she secured a victory when AAP fielded her from Kalkaji in the Delhi Assembly elections.

Atishi was also at the forefront during AAP’s fight for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) polls in which the party managed to win a majority in the December 2022 elections.

She held the fort and the reigns of the party when Kejriwal and Sisodia were behind bars. She articulated the party’s position at party events and media exchanges and took charge of 14 portfolios, including education, finance and water departments, the maximum a person currently holds in the Delhi Cabinet.

On August 15, Kejriwal also chose her to hoist the tricolour at the Delhi government’s Independence Day event. While Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena foiled the plan, it was clear that the AAP leadership placed immense faith in Atishi.