Delhi’s Chief Minister-designate Atishi and her cabinet are set to take the oath of office on September 21 (Saturday). This follows Arvind Kejriwal’s resignation as chief minister on September 17, after which Atishi claimed the mandate to form a new government in the national capital. The oath-taking ceremony is expected to be a modest event held at Raj Niwas.
Reports indicate that party leaders Gopal Rai, Kailash Gehlot, Saurabh Bharadwaj, and Imran Hussain—who served as ministers in Kejriwal’s previous administration—will be retained, along with two new AAP MLAs to be inducted into the cabinet. Atishi will present her government’s majority in the Delhi Assembly during the session scheduled for September 26-27.
As the MLA from Kalkaji, Atishi oversees 14 portfolios, including finance, education, and revenue, and played a key role while Kejriwal was incarcerated. “We have staked our claim to form a new government. I am committed to protecting the interests of Delhi’s residents,” she stated after Kejriwal’s meeting with the Lieutenant Governor.
Additionally, Delhi Police is likely to provide ‘Z’ category security for Atishi, which entails around 22 personnel in shifts for her protection.
Atishi will become the third woman to serve as chief minister of Delhi, following the late BJP leader Sushma Swaraj and the late Congress leader Sheila Dikshit.
She is the daughter of Delhi University professors Vijay Singh and Tripta Wahi, attended Springdales School, graduated from St Stephen’s College, and holds a Master’s degree from Oxford University.
