NEW DELHI: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday tendered his resignation to Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena at the LG Secretariat.
The AAP national convenor was accompanied by his Cabinet colleagues including Atishi, who was earlier in the day chosen as Kejriwal's successor at a legislature party meeting.
Atishi, who replaces Kejriwal as the new Delhi CM is the third woman and youngest to occupy the position.
Addressing reporters after the meeting, Atishi said, "We have staked claim to form a new government. I will protect the interests of Delhi people."
She alleged that Kejriwal was facing false charges and being targeted by the central government's probe agencies.
"The Supreme Court not only granted him bail but also made harsh remarks against the Centre and its probe agencies calling them a caged parrot," she added.
"Had it been some other leader, they would have kept the chief minister's chair but Kejriwal decided to go to the people's court. He resigned. This is a sad moment for us," Atishi said.
The people have vowed to choose Arvind Kejriwal as the chief minister again in the soon-to-be-held Delhi assembly polls, she added.
Delhi minister Gopal Rai said, "We have informed the LG about Kejriwal's decision. Atishi has presented her claim to form the government. We have requested the LG to decide on a date for the oath-taking ceremony so that the work of two crore people can be carried on."
Atishi (43) is set to become the second current woman chief minister in the country after West Bengal's Mamata Banerjee.
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.
Atishi is preceded by Congress' Sheila Dikshit and BJP's Sushma Swaraj as Delhi's women chief ministers. 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.
Dikshit was 60 years old when she became the chief minister of Delhi, while Swaraj held the post at the age of 46.
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.
