Atishi appointed Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly, 1st woman to hold post

Atishi, former Chief Minister and AAP leader, was chosen by the party's MLAs as the Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly. She is the first woman to become the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly.

In Short

• Atishi becomes first woman Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly
• AAP won 22 of 70 seats in Assembly polls, lost to BJP that got 48
• Delhi Assembly session to begin on February 24

Former Chief Minister and AAP leader Atishi was on Sunday chosen by party MLAs to become the Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly. She is the first woman Leader of Opposition in the House.

Atishi was unanimously chosen by the AAP MLAs to be the Leader of Opposition during AAP's legislative party meeting. Her name was proposed as a strong female face to take on Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta.

AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and the party's 22 MLAs - that includes Kalkaji MLA Atishi - attended the meeting.

Atishi's elevation as the Leader of Opposition is significant given the fact that top AAP leaders, including Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and Saurabh Bharadwaj lost from their respective seats in the recently-held election.

Atishi thanked Kejriwal and AAP for entrusting her with the responsibility of being the LoP and said she would fight to fulfill the BJP's poll promise of giving Rs 2,500 per month to the women of Delhi.

"The people of Delhi have entrusted us with the role of opposition, and as a strong opposition we will ensure that the BJP government fulfils all its promises made to the people of Delhi. AAP will raise the issues of the people in the House with full force. The fight for the rights of Delhi and Delhiites will continue," she wrote on X.

Following the announcement, Kejriwal also tweeted, "I congratulate Atishi Ji for being elected as Leader of AAP in the House. AAP will play the role of constructive opposition in the interest of people of Delhi."

The 43-year-old became the Chief Minister after Kejriwal stepped down after being released from jail after five months in connection with the Delhi liquor policy case.

She had become the face of the AAP government in Delhi during Kejriwal's incarceration, taking on the BJP and Congress over a host of issues.

Atishi, who was elected from south Delhi's Kalkaji in 2020, retained her seat in the February 5 Assembly polls after a stiff competition with former BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri, known for his controversial remarks.

The BJP ousted AAP from power in Delhi, winning 48 of the 70 seats in the Assembly polls. The Kejriwal-led party, which secured landslide victories in 2015 and 2020, managed just 22. The Congress failed to open its account for the third consecutive time.

The first session of the Delhi Assembly will begin on February 24. During the three-day session, the ruling BJP government has said that pending CAG reports against the performance of the previous AAP government will be tabled in the House.

(with inputs from PTI)