New Delhi: Delhi is set to get its third woman chief minister, after Congress' Sheila Dikshit and BJP's Sushma Swaraj, as AAP leader Atishi has been chosen to succeed Arvind Kejriwal. Dikshit was Delhi's longest-serving chief minister, who held the office for 15 years from 1998 to 2013, while Swaraj's tenure lasted 52 days in 1998.
Atishi (43) will be Delhi's youngest chief minister and is also set to become the second current woman chief minister in the country after West Bengal's Mamata Banerjee. Dikshit was 60 years old when she became the chief minister of Delhi, while Swaraj held the post at the age of 46.
Atishi currently holds the most number of portfolios in the Delhi Cabinet, serving as the Minister for Finance, Water, Education, Public Works, Power, Revenue, Planning, Services, Law, Vigilance, and other key departments. The AAP leader has played a crucial role in maintaining the party's stability, particularly during the imprisonment of Kejriwal and other senior leaders, when she managed the party's operations along with other leaders.
Kejriwal proposed Atishi as his successor during a meeting of AAP legislators, who unanimously supported it. The AAP supremo met Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena on Tuesday evening and tendered his resignation, making way for Atishi's appointment.
A delegation of AAP legislators will meet L-G Saxena to formally stake claim for forming the new government under Atishi's leadership, according to AAP leader Gopal Rai.
Dikshit remains a key figure in Delhi's political history as the longest-serving chief minister of the state and the longest-serving woman chief minister in India, leading the Congress to three consecutive electoral victories. Swaraj, a senior BJP leader, served briefly as the fifth chief minister of Delhi in 1998 before resigning to focus on national politics.
Notable female chief ministers in India's history include Mehbooba Mufti, who served as the ninth chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir; Mayawati, who served as the 18th chief minister of Uttar Pradesh; Rabri Devi, the 21st chief minister of Bihar; and Jayalalithaa, the fifth chief minister of Tamil Nadu.