CM-designate Atishi may address Delhi Assembly next week

Delhi Chief minister-designate Atishi is likely to address her first session as the leader of the house in the Delhi Assembly on September 26. The new chief minister will prove the majority of her government in the Delhi Assembly and its session has been called by the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on September 26-27.

A senior party member was quoted by the Hindustan Times as saying that the agenda for the meeting has not been decided. “Atishi will be speaking at the house on issues being faced by Delhi and the way ahead. It is not yet clear whether the oath-taking ceremony would be complete by then, as it will depend on the dates provided by LG VK Saxena after concurrence from the President,” the member was quoted as saying.

Arvind Kejriwal resigned as the Delhi Chief Minister on Tuesday. Following this, Atishi staked claim to form the new government before Delhi L-G VK Saxena. She was elected as the leader of the Delhi AAP legislative party and the new chief minister of the national capital.

The date for oath-taking ceremony is yet to be needs to be fixed.

In her first address after becoming the CM-elect, Atishi said, “I would like to thank the popular CM of Delhi, AAP national convener and my guru – Arvind Kejriwal. He gave me such a huge responsibility and trusted me for it.”

“This can be done only in AAP, only under the leadership of Arvind Kejriwal, that a first-time politician becomes the CM of a state,” Atishi said.

As a minister in Kejriwal’s Cabinet, Atishi, with 14 portfolios including finance, education and revenue, was amongst those holding the fort while he was in jail.

On Monday, the party said Kejriwal’s decision to resign as chief minister was borne out of compulsion and not driven by principle. The BJP described his move as “drama” and a “confession of crime” and wondered if he had offered to quit because of infighting in AAP.

Atishi was inducted into the Delhi cabinet in March last year and has been playing a crucial role both in the government and the party when AAP convener Kejriwal was arrested on March 21 in connection with the excise policy case.

Atishi will be Delhi’s third woman chief minister after Congress’ Sheila Dikshit and BJP’s Sushma Swaraj.