Hope people will bring back Arvind Kejriwal in February polls, his chair will remain at office till then: Delhi CM Atishi

NEW DELHI: AAP leader Atishi officially assumed office as the eighth chief minister of Delhi on Monday. Atishi's appointment follows the resignation of her predecessor, Arvind Kejriwal, who chose her as the leader of the legislature party earlier in the week. As she stepped into her new position, she expressed her emotional state by likening it to a significant event from the Ramayana.In her statement, Atishi drew a parallel between her circumstances and those of Bharat, a character from the ancient tale. "My situation is like that of Bharat, when Lord Shri Rama went into exile, and Bharat had to govern in his absence by placing Lord Ram's 'khadaun' on throne," she said.She praised Arvind Kejriwal for setting an example of dignity and morality, despite the BJP's efforts to tarnish his image over the past two years. Atishi mentioned that false cases were filed against Kejriwal, leading to his arrest and imprisonment for six months."Arvind Kejriwal has said that he will not sit on the CM's chair until the public of Delhi shows trust in his honesty. So, he tendered his resignation. The chair of the Delhi Chief Minister belongs to Arvind Kejriwal. I am hopeful that the public of Delhi will elect him again as the Delhi Chief Minister. Till that, the chair will remain in this office and wait for Arvind Kejriwal," Atishi concluded, expressing her belief that the people of Delhi will re-elect Kejriwal as their chief minister.Atishi was sworn in as the eighth chief minister of Delhi on Saturday at an event at 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 the three women CMs --Sheila Dikshit and Sushma Swaraj being the other two --that the city has seen to date. Moreover, she joins the ranks of 16 other women who have served as chief ministers in independent India.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.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.Despite her historic appointment, Atishi's tenure as chief minister is expected to be short-lived. The new cabinet headed by Atishi has a long list of pending projects, schemes and new initiatives to be launched in the next few months before Delhi goes to polls in February next year.