Arvind Kejriwal Proposes Atishi Marlena As Delhi's New CM

AAP leader and Delhi Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has proposed Atishi Marlena as his successor following his decision to resign from the CM post. The Kalkaji MLA, who holds maximum portfolios in the AAP government, will take over from party chief Arvind Kejriwal with just months left for the Delhi Assembly election.

The decision was taken during the AAP’s legislators meeting today. Atishi will now hold portfolios in the Delhi government such as Education and Public Works Department.

Read also: Who Will Be The Next Chief Minister In Delhi After Kejriwal Resigns?

Atishi was the frontrunner for the post as she had assumed a central role in the party after the arrest of Kejriwal and his former deputy Manish Sisodia in the liquor policy case. In March, when Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate and with his former deputy Manish Sisodia in jail, there was no second in command in the party and government, Atishi took a central stand over the party chief’s arrest and led the government’s charge during Lok Sabha elections.

Even after general elections, Atishi remained the most visible Delhi AAP leader. After Kejriwal’s arrest, there were speculation, that she could be made the chief minister. She had also spearheaded the Delhi government’s flagship Malhotra Sabha project. Atishi was inducted into the Delhi government along with Saurabh Bharadwaj following the resignation of former Deputy CM Manish Sisodia and former Health Minister Satyendar Jain.

The 43-year-old became a minister after Manish Sisodia was arrested in liquor policy case.

Kejriwal had announced on Sunday that he would resign after two days and would demand early polls in Delhi as he had vowed not to sit in the CM’s chair until the people give him a “certificate of honesty.”

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Kejriwal, who was released from Tihar jail on Friday in the excise policy corruption case, said, “I will only sit in CM’s chair after people give me a certificate of honesty.”

Assembly polls in the national capital are scheduled to be held in February. However, Kejriwal has requested for it to be held during November along with the Maharashtra assembly election.