Atishi was on Saturday sworn in as Delhi Chief Minister. As soon as the oath ceremony, a visibly emotional Atishi touched her 'guru' Arvind Kejriwal's feet to take blessings as he moved forward to greet her. Senior AAP leader Atishi was administered oath as the eighth Chief Minister of Delhi by Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena on Saturday. Saxena administered the oath of office and secrecy to Atishi. She was chosen as the leader of the legislature party earlier this week, after her predecessor Arvind Kejriwal decided to resign.
Atishi earlier had expressed her gratitude to party chief Arvind Kejriwal for the responsibility assigned to her. Addressing a press conference, Atishi also said that she was personally "hurt" by Kejriwal's resignation. "I thank my guru Arvind Kejriwal for giving me the responsibility of Delhi...I am also hurt by his resignation," she added. “Don’t congratulate me or garland me for becoming Chief Minister. I will hold this position only until the elections. If we win, Arvind Kejriwal will return as Chief Minister,” Atishi said, underscoring her commitment to following Kejriwal’s leadership during this transitional phase.
Senior AAP leaders Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia were also present at the swearing-in event. Atishi is Delhi's third woman chief minister after Congress' Sheila Dikshit and BJP's Sushma Swaraj. She also becomes the 17th woman to hold the post of chief minister in independent India. Atishi, however, will have a brief tenure in office as assembly elections in the national capital are due in February.
