Aam Aadmi Party leader Atishi will take oath as Chief Minister of Delhi tomorrow at 4:30 pm. The swearing-in ceremony will take place at the Raj Bhavan – the Lt Governor’s residence – and five AAP MLAs will take oath along with Atishi as ministers.
Atishi will be the third woman Chief Minister of Delhi after Sushma Swaraj from the BJP and Sheila Dixit from the Congress. The AAP leader will also be the youngest Chief Minister of Delhi.
Atishi will take over the top post after Arvind Kejriwal – the party’s convenor – resigned after the Supreme Court granted him bail in the liquor policy case which saw his former Deputy, Manish Sisodia, party MP Sanjay Singh being jailed for several months.
Mr Kejriwal walked out of jail after six months and said: “I got justice from the legal courts… now I will get justice from the people’s court. I want to ask the people of Delhi, is Kejriwal innocent or guilty? If I have worked, vote for me.”
Mr Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in March, and again by the Central Bureau of Investigation in June, on money laundering and corruption charges linked to the liquor policy scam.
Last week, while ordering his bail in the former case (after granting relief in the latter in July), the Supreme Court said his “prolonged incarceration amounts to unjust deprivation of liberty”.
The bail conditions included Mr Kejriwal being barred from signing government orders or files without the consent of the Lieutenant Governor, with whom the AAP has had several aggressive run-ins.
BJP, Congress On AAP’s Move
After Arvind Kejriwal announced her as his replacement, Atishi said, This is an emotional moment for the party and people of Delhi. At the same time, the people are resolved to make Kejriwal the Chief Minister again. And, till the election is held and we stake claim to the new government, I will look after Delhi.”
BJP hit back, questioning if this decision was due to a “rift” in the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) that its leader cannot handle.
“You didn’t resign when in jail, but are now announcing that you will resign in 48 hours? People want to know the mystery behind these 48 hours. You don’t have to discharge duties of the Chief Minister, why do you need 48 hours?” BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi asked.
The Congress, which fought the Lok Sabha polls in Delhi in alliance with AAP, described the Chief Minister’s resignation announcement as a “political stunt”. Delhi Congress chief Devender Yadav said Mr Kejriwal resigned because he has no powers as Chief Minister and is bound by the Supreme Court’s conditions. “This is a political stunt and nothing else. This will have no impact on the upcoming elections. People want change now,” he said.
