Today, AAP leader Atishi formally took over as Delhi Chief Minister, placing an empty chair next to her own to symbolize her unwavering loyalty to Arvind Kejriwal. After taking up the position, Atishi spoke to the media and compared her circumstances to the Ramayana’s narrative of Bharat, who assumed the throne in lieu of Lord Ram by placing his sandals on it.
“I bear the same burden that Bharat did today.” I shall rule Delhi for the next four months in the same manner that he did, just as he put Lord Ram’s sandals on the throne and governed,” she declared.
According to Atishi, Arvind Kejriwal will be elected by the people of Delhi in the next elections.
“This chair is Arvind Kejriwal’s, and I have no doubt that Delhi’s citizens will choose him to be their Chief Minister once more in the February elections. This chair will stay in this office until he gets back until then,” she continued.
After Sheila Dikshit of the Congress and Sushma Swaraj of the BJP, Atishi became the eighth and only female chief minister of Delhi on Saturday. She was sworn in alongside five cabinet ministers, including a newcomer and four from the previous ministry.
After Arvind Kejriwal announced his resignation in response to the Supreme Court’s interim bail judgment in the excise policy case, her name was put out as the potential next chief minister.
Atishi kept her 13 portfolios from her time in the Kejriwal administration, which included PWD, education, revenue, finance, and power.
ATISHI’S ACTION OF LEAVING AN EMPTY CHAIR: BJP CRITICIZES
Virendra Sachdeva, the president of the Delhi BJP, has harshly criticized Atishi for positioning an empty chair next to her that is meant for Arvind Kejriwal. Sachdeva described the action as an affront to the Chief Minister’s office and a breach of constitutional standards.
Sachdeva made the following comment in a statement: “It is disrespectful to the Chief Minister’s office, the Constitution, and the rules to place two chairs at his desk. As Atishi implies, this is not an act of idealism but rather overt sycophancy.”
He went on to chastise Atishi for behaving in a way that was disrespectful to the Chief Minister’s office’s dignity and hurting the feelings of Delhi’s residents.
Atishi, the chief minister of Delhi, took the oath of office at the youngest age ever, forty-three. She is currently the nation’s second female chief minister, after Mamata Banerjee of West Bengal. Her rule will only last for a short while because the Delhi Assembly elections are scheduled for February 2025.