Delhi minister Atishi will take over as the new chief minister of India’s national capital territory after the resignation of incumbent Arvind Kejriwal, says the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
The announcement was made by AAP chief Kejriwal during a meeting with his party’s legislators in New Delhi on Tuesday.
“Atishi steps up to lead Delhi until the upcoming elections, carrying the weight of both CM Arvind Kejriwal’s vision and the national capital’s future,” a statement from AAP said.
Atishi, 43, is a prominent member of the decade-old party, which quickly rose to mainstream politics, although its clout is relatively small compared with older opposition parties in India. She has held several portfolios in the city government, including finance and education.
Kejriwal, 56, on Monday said he will resign as chief minister of Delhi, a day after his release from prison on bail in a corruption case. The AAP has described his arrest as a “political conspiracy” orchestrated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
“Today I have come to ask the public whether you consider Kejriwal honest or a criminal … I will resign from the post of CM [chief minister] two days from today and ask people whether I am honest,” he said on Sunday.
A fierce Modi critic, Kejriwal is a former anticorruption crusader and had served as Delhi’s chief minister since 2015. His AAP party is a member of the Congress-led INDIA alliance.
On Friday, Kejriwal was granted bail by India’s Supreme Court, six months after being detained in relation to alleged irregularities in the capital city’s liquor policy.
Speaking to reporters after the announcement on Tuesday, Atishi said she will be the chief minister “for a few months till [state legislative assembly] elections”, which are due in February next year.
“I will work with just one goal. We have to make Arvind Kejriwal the chief minister of Delhi once again,” she said, calling the outgoing leader her “guru” (mentor).
“I come from an ordinary family. Had I been in any other party, perhaps I would not have been given even an election ticket. But Arvind Kejriwal trusted me, made me an MLA [legislator] and a minister and today, gave me the responsibility of the chief minister,” she added.
