AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal with Delhi Chief Minister-elect Atishi. Photo: Courtesy
AAP leader Atishi will take oath as the youngest Chief Minister of Delhi on Saturday along with five MLAs who will be part of the new council of ministers. The swearing-in ceremony, which will be a low-key affair, will take place at the Raj Bhavan at 4.30 pm.
Along with Atishi, AAP veterans Gopal Rai, Kailash Gahlot, Saurabh Bharadwaj, and Imran Hussain will also be sworn-in today. The Delhi Cabinet will also have a new entrant - first-time MLA from Sultanpur Majra and AAP's Dalit face Mukesh Ahlawat.
It remains to be seen if there is a rejig of the portfolios in the new council of ministers. Atishi held 13 key portfolios, including finance, revenue, PWD, power and education, in the outgoing Kejriwal government.
Atishi was unanimously chosen as Chief Minister designate during the AAP legislature party meeting on Tuesday as Arvind Kejriwal stepped down from the post, sending shockwaves through Delhi's political circles.
The AAP chief's move came days after he was granted bail by the Supreme Court in a corruption case related to the alleged Delhi liquor policy scam.
With Assembly polls in Delhi due in February next year, Kejriwal said he would return as Chief Minister only if voters give him a "certificate of honesty".
Atishi, an Oxford University alumna and a Rhodes scholar, will also hold the distinction of being only the third woman Chief Minister of the national capital after Sushma Swaraj and Sheila Dikshit.
From an adviser in 2015 to an MLA in 2020 and Chief Minister in 2024, Atishi's rise has been meteoric in the AAP. She grabbed attention while serving as an adviser to former Education Minister Manish Sisodia and is credited for playing a key role in improving education in Delhi's government-run schools.
However, during her brief tenure as Chief Minister, Atishi will have her work cut out.
Apart from preparing the party for the crucial election, the Atishi government will have to fast-track pending welfare schemes such as the Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Yojana, Electric Vehicle Policy 2.0 and doorstep delivery of services.
