Atishi was sworn in as the eighth chief minister of Delhi at an event in Raj Niwas, replacing her mentor and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal, who resigned from the post earlier this week. At 43, she’s the second youngest CM of Delhi after Chaudhary Brahm Prakash (34) in 1952–55 and the youngest among two women CMs Sheila Dikshit and Sushma Swaraj the city has seen to date. Along with Atishi, five ministers also took oath, including four - Gopal Rai, Kailash Gahlot, Saurabh Bharadwaj and Imran Hussain -from the previous dispensation, and Mukesh Kumar Ahlawat, a new entrant to the Cabinet. She and others were administered the oath of office and secrecy by LG VK Saxena.
Soon after taking over, Atishi sent the list of portfolios allocated to the ministers in her council to the LG for his approval. While she will continue to hold 13 portfolios that she had in Kejriwal’s dispensation, including finance, planning, power, water, revenue, and public works department, Bharadwaj will have eight. Apart from health, urban development, industries, tourism, irrigation and flood control, art, culture and languages, which he kept in the last govt, Bharadwaj has been given the charge of two more, social welfare and cooperatives, which were held by Raaj Kumar Anand, who quit the govt and the party earlier this year.
Ahlawat, the new face in the council of ministers, has been assigned the remaining five departments Anand held, including labour, employment and SC& ST welfare. Rai, Gahlot, and Hussain will retain the portfolios they held in the last govt. While Rai’s three departments included environment and development, Gahlot will have the charge of five, including home, transport and women and child development, while Hussain will have two – food and supply, and election. Atishi has also become the 17th woman to hold the post of a chief minister in independent India. A first-time legislator, Atishi will have a brief stint of just five months as CM in this term.
Before swearing in as CM, Atishi, along with her cabinet ministers, called on outgoing CM Kejriwal at his residence. Soon after taking oath, Atishi took blessings from Kejriwal. With assembly polls around the corner, the AAP govt is likely to have a challenging stint.
