Atishi Marlena Singh, the only woman minister in the Delhi’s cabinet is all set to be the new Chief Minister of the national capital. Atishi will take over as Delhi’s new Chief Minister after Arvind Kejriwal resigns from the top post after a meeting with Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena.
Atishi currently holds maximum portfolios in the AAP government and looks after 14 departments. Some of the key ministries that Atishi looks after are education, finance, planning, PWD, water, power and public relations.
Atishi will take the mantle from Arvind Kejriwal with just few months left for the Delhi Assembly election.
Who is Atishi Marlena Singh?
The 43-year-old Kalkaji MLA, has been a front face of the AAP government ever since the former deputy CM Manish Sisodia was jailed in alleged excise policy case.
There were several probables for the Chief Ministerial post including names like Gopal Rai, Kailash Gahlot, Saurabh Bharadwaj and Sunita Kejriwal, Arvind Kejriwal’s wife, but Atishi, was the top contender as she had assumed a central role in the party after Sisodia’s arrest.
Atishi was appointed as the Minister of Education, P.W.D, Culture and Tourism in the Delhi Government in 2023. From 2015-2018, Marlena served as an advisor to Sisodia on educational strategy and policies.
Born on June 8, 1981, Atishi did her high school from Springdales School (Pusa Road), New Delhi. She pursued graduation in History from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi in 2001. Atishi also attended Oxford University, where she got a Chevening scholarship and completed her master’s in History in 2003.
Foray into Politics
Atishi started off her political journey with the Aam Aadmi Party in 2013 and played a key in the party’s policy formulation. In 2015, she participated in the historic Jal Satyagraha in Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh.
In 2020’s Delhi Legislative Assembly elections, Atishi was given a ticket to contest from Kalkaji, South Delhi and she defeated BJP’s Dharambir Singh by 11,000 votes.
Atishi is among the most qualified and well educated members of the Aam Aadmi Party, which has helped her to strike a chord with the urban and middle class support base of the party.
Before joining politics, Atishi spent seven years in a village in Madhya Pradesh where she got involved in organic farming and progressive education systems. Atishi also worked with several non-profit organisations, where she met some of the AAP members for the first time.
