Atishi takes oath as Delhi chief minister, succeeds Arvind Kejriwal
Atishi is the third woman chief minister of Delhi after late Sushma Swaraj and Sheila Dikshit.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Atishi on Saturday took oath as the chief minister of Delhi, replacing Arvind Kejriwal who resigned on Tuesday.
Saurabh Bharadwaj, Gopal Rai and Kailash Gahlot took oath as ministers, having retained their positions in the new government. Imran Hussain also took oath as a minister. Sultanpur Majra legislator Mukesh Ahlawat is the new face in the cabinet.
The tenure of the Atishi government will be brief as the assembly polls in Delhi are due in February next year. Atishi, 43, was chosen as the leader of legislature party on Tuesday ahead of Kejriwal handing over his resignation to lieutenant governor Vinai Kumar Saxena.
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As a minister in Kejriwal's Cabinet, Atishi, with 14 portfolios including finance, education, and revenue, was amongst those holding the fort while he was in jail.
Kejriwal on Sunday announced his decision to resign, days after he was granted bail by the Supreme Court in a corruption case filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the Delhi excise policy case.
“I am going to resign from the CM position after two days. I will not sit on the CM chair until the people give their verdict. I will go to every house and street and not sit on the CM chair till I get a verdict from the people,” Kejriwal had said.
‘Won’t sit on CM post till public announces decision': Kejriwal
“I will not sit on the CM post until the public announces its decision. Elections are after a few months. If you think Kejriwal is honest, then vote for me, I will take over as CM after the elections. If you think I am not, don't vote. Your vote will be a certificate for my honesty, then only I will sit on the post of CM,” he added.
“The elections are supposed to be held in February. I demand elections be held in November with Maharashtra elections,” he added.