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Why did AAP's Atishi, named as Delhi's new chief minister, drop her second name ‘Marlena’?
Atishi's meteoric rise also saw several controversies and one of them was dropping her surname ‘Marlena’.
Senior Aam Aadmi Party leader Atishi will be Delhi’s new chief minister, the party unanimously agreed on Tuesday after Arvind Kejriwal proposed her name as his successor in a meeting of the party's legislators.
The 43-year-old Atishi who holds 14 portfolios, including finance, education and revenue and was amongs those holding the fort while Arvind Kejriwal was in jail, will be the third woman chief minister of Delhi after Congress’ Sheila Dikshit and BJP’s Sushma Swaraj.
Arvind Kejriwal will meet Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena at Raj Niwas at 4.30pm to tender his resignation as chief minister, paving the way for Atishi's appointment as his successor.
Atishi, given credit for many of the AAP government's achievements in the education sector, was inducted into the Delhi cabinet in March 2023 and has been playing a crucial role both in the government as well as the party when AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal was arrested on March 21 in connection with the excise policy case.
The daughter of Delhi University professors Vijay Singh and Tripta Wahi, Atishi did her schooling from Springdales School and went on to graduate from St. Stephen’s College. She did her masters from Oxford University.
Atishi's meteoric rise also saw several controversies and one of them was dropping her surname 'Marlena'.
So why did Atishi drop her surname Marlena?
Atishi dropped the surname 'Marlena' in 2018 due to political reasons and the potential for misunderstanding. The name Marlena was a combination of Marx and Lenin, reflecting her parents' leftist ideologies. However, during her rise in politics, especially ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha election, Atishi faced speculation and rumours that her surname linked her to communist ideology.
Given the sensitivity around political affiliations in India, she decided to drop Marlena and use just her first name, Atishi, to avoid any misinterpretation of her political beliefs.
This move was aimed at ensuring her focus remained on her work and policy contributions rather than on unnecessary controversies related to her surname.
“Marlena is not my surname. My surname is Singh which I never used. The second name was given by my parents. I have decided to use just Atishi for my election campaign,” she had said in August 2018.
However, there were reports that the Bharatiyab Janata Party might to “try and to project Atishi as a foreigner and a Christian” and also “invoke the fact that she was named after two Communist ideologues”.
AAP leader Saurabh Bhardwaj had said the party sensed that some elements in the Opposition were trying to mislead the people by branding her as an outsider and possibly a foreigner, but added that the decision was entirely Atishi’s.
The party said that her parents, Dr Tripta Wahi and Dr Vijay Singh, who were Leftists, gave her the title “Marlena” after combining the surnames of Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin.
The Delhi BJP denied AAP’s allegations, saying the party never used religion to win votes. “The BJP never practises communal politics. Atishi and AAP are scared of being badly defeated in the Lok Sabha elections. This is an excuse which they have already started giving to the people of Delhi for their defeat,” said Rajesh Bhatia of the Delhi BJP had said.
