Atishi takes charge as Delhi CM, keeps Kejriwal's chair unoccupied
Atishi, who was sworn in as the chief minister of Delhi on September 21, officially assumed her duties on Monday. However, she chose not to sit in the chair previously occupied by her predecessor Arvind Kejriwal. Instead, she kept it vacant and sat on a different chair. "I will work for four months as the Chief Minister of Delhi like Bharat (in Ramayana) did by keeping Lord Ram's Khadaun (wooden slipper) on the throne," Atishi said after taking charge.
Atishi's tribute to Kejriwal's political legacy
"My feelings today are the same as Bharat's when Lord Ram went into exile for 14 years and Bharat had to manage the governance of Ayodhya,"said Atishi. Atishi stated that her decision to keep Kejriwal's chair vacant was a tribute to his dignity in politics. She also expressed hope for Kejriwal's return in the February elections, saying, "Hope people will bring back Kejriwal...his chair will remain in the Chief Minister's office till then."
'I will run the government of Delhi for 4 months'
BJP criticizes Atishi's gesture, calls it 'drama'
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was quick to criticize Atishi's decision, calling it "drama." Amit Malviya, the party's IT cell chief, wrote on X, "This drama in Delhi must stop...That means Atishi is the Manmohan Singh of the Delhi government and the real Chief Minister is Arvind Kejriwal." He also accused her of making a mockery of the constitution by taking an oath in place of "the ghost of Kejriwal sitting on an empty chair."
Kejriwal's dramatic resignation
On September 15, two days after receiving bail from the Supreme Court in the excise policy case, Kejriwal announced his resignation as Delhi CM. He declared that he would only resume his position after obtaining a "certificate of honesty" from Delhi's citizens through assembly polls scheduled for February next year. Following the resignation, AAP leader Atishi was appointed as the new chief minister of Delhi.
