Delhi CM Atishi Assumes Office, Leaves Kejriwal's Chair Vacant

Atishi assumed charge as 8th Chief Minister of Delhi on Monday but ensured to send a clear message as she kept Arvind Kejriwal's chair vacant.

New Delhi:AAP leader Atishi took charge as the eighth Chief Minister of Delhi on Monday but kept vacant the chair her predecessor Arvind Kejriwal used to sit on.

She took charge at the Chief Minister's Office in the Secretariat in Delhi. The Delhi Assembly's session will be held on September 26 and 27. Atishi took the oath of office on Saturday.

"Today I have taken over the responsibility of the Chief Minister of Delhi. Today I have the same pain in my heart that Bharat had when his elder brother Lord Shri Ram went on a 14-year exile, and Bharat ji had to take over the governance of Ayodhya. Just like Bharat ruled Ayodhya for 14 years by keeping Lord Shri Ram's sandals, I will run the government of Delhi for 4 months," she said in a post in Hindi on X.

Atishi also shared a photo of her sitting on a different chair with the one used by Kejriwal vacant next to hers. Atishi has retained the 13 portfolios she held in the Kejriwal government, including education, revenue, finance, power and PWD. Saurabh Bharadwaj, who holds eight portfolios, the highest after Atishi, took charge on Saturday itself.

The Chief Minister's Office remained inactive since March when ED arrested then CM Arvind Kejriwal in the Delhi Liquor Scam. With Atishi retaining major portfolios, pending works are expected to get a major push.

New entrant Mukesh Ahlawat got the charge of the labour, SC and ST, employment and land and building departments. Gopal Rai has been given the charge of development, general administration department, environment and forest -- the portfolios he held in the Kejriwal government. Kailash Gahlot has also retained his previous portfolios -- transport, home, administrative reforms, women and child development.

The new cabinet headed by Atishi has a long list of pending projects, schemes and new initiatives to be launched in the next few months before Delhi goes to polls in February next year.

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