Senior AAP leader Atishi on Saturday took oath as the new Chief Minister of Delhi, in a ceremony held at the Raj Niwas here.
Other than the CM, five cabinet ministers were also sworn in alongside her, as Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena administered their oath.
The members of the cabinet include familiar faces, such as Saurabh Bharadwaj, Gopal Rai, Kailash Gahlot, and Imran Hussain while Mukesh Ahlawat is a new entrant.
The oath-taking ceremony was a relatively low-key affair, given the circumstances of outgoing CM Arvind Kejriwal’s resignation, who had announced his decision to step down, stating he would return to the post only after receiving a “certificate of honesty” from the people of Delhi in the upcoming assembly polls due early next year.
He had proposed Atishi’s name and the same was approved by AAP legislators in its party meeting, where she was chosen as the leader.
Minister of State, Corporate Affairs and Lok Sabha MP from East Delhi Harsh Malhotra, Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi, AAP leader Manish Sisodia, BJP MP Manoj Tiwari and several other dignitaries were present on the occasion.
Being the third woman CM of Delhi after Sushma Swaraj and Sheila Dikshit, Atishi’s leadership is highly anticipated, as she has previously handled over 10 portfolios in the Kejriwal government, including Education, Higher Education, and Public Works Department.
She had earlier said that she was not happy as her leader Kejriwal had to resign from the post, and had asked people not to congratulate her.
She had also said that she would not let anyone hamper the works of Delhi, and also work towards getting Arvind kejriwal back as CM.
The senior AAP leader had also said that she would work under the guidance of the AAP chief.
It was last week that Kejriwal had said he would resign from the post of CM and undergo trial by fire (agni pariksha), to get the certificate of honesty from the public after allegations of corruption were levelled against him in the Delhi excise policy.
Kejriwal had made this announcement after being released on bail in the Delhi excise policy case and has said that now he would go before the people and only become CM when people vote him to power.