It was the year 2015. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was all geared up to contest the Delhi assembly elections, after Arvind Kejriwal resigned as the chief minister on February 14, 2014.
The 49-day AAP government, which was formed on December 28, 2013, after outside support from Congress, gave Delhiites hope of good governance in the national capital. The alleged scams like the Commonwealth Games, Nirbhaya rape case, crumbling civic amenities, poor air quality etc. had dented the reputation of the then-ruling Congress.
Remember, in its maiden Delhi Assembly Elections 2013, the AAP ended the 15-year rule of the late Sheila Dixit by winning 28 seats in the 70-member house. Congress was reduced to a mere single-digit (eight seats) while BJP bagged 31 seats. Riding on the same high hopes of people from AAP, the broom-logo party released its manifesto with a 70-point action plan for the Delhi assembly elections 2015. The aim was to make Delhi prosperous, modern and progressive. One of the major talks of the town in the manifesto was the revamping of educational institutions in Delhi.
As per the manifesto, the AAP promised to build 500 new government schools and 20 new colleges. It was also promised that the existing government schools would be revamped to provide quality education.
When the results of the 2015 elections came, the AAP won a lion’s share of seats, i.e., 67 out of 70. The saffron party was further reduced to three and Congress failed to open its account.
Now, the major task was to implement the promises as mentioned in the manifesto. With a special focus on upgrading educational institutions across Delhi, the then Deputy CM Sisodia was given the portfolio of education minister. Here comes the role of the current ‘newly’ elected CM of Delhi, Atishi. The Oxford-educated leader, who was the spokesperson of the party at that time, was appointed advisor to the education minister, with a monthly pay of Rs 1.
While things went well for two-and-a-half years, however, in 2018, the general administrative department of the AAP government struck off the appointment of party members working as advisors on the advice of Union home ministry, stating that the posts held by the advisors are not in the list of posts approved for ministers and chief minister.
Atishi was made to resign, and after a year she unsuccessfully contested the Lok Sabha elections in 2019. However, Atishi was fielded from Kalkaji Vidhan Sabha constituency for Delhi assembly elections 2020, and she won by a margin of nearly 11,000 votes. But, she didn’t find any cabinet berth at that time.
THE TURNING POINT
Things began to change for her three years later. In March 2023, she was inducted into the cabinet and given Finance, Water, Education, Public Works Department, Power, Revenue, Law, Planning, Services, Information and Publicity, and Vigilance. While there were allegations of corruption against her party members, Atishi maintained a crystal clear image, and subsequently, her profile only grew since then.
Her stature elevated further when weeks before Lok Sabha elections 2024, the then CM Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for alleged involvement in the Delhi excise scam. Besides handling the 13 portfolios, she also campaigned for the party during the Lok Sabha polls.
Meanwhile, Kejriwal got interim bail on May 10, to campaign for general elections. Following the end of his interim bail, he surrendered at Tihar jail on June 2. Soon, the CBI also arrested Kejriwal on June 26 in the alleged scam in order to trail the corruption and bribery involved.
While the SC granted bail to Kejriwal in the ED case on July 12, he remained in custody as per the case filed by CBI. However, in a major relief to Kejriwal, the SC granted bail to him in the CBI case on September 13.
Two days after walking out of jail, the CM announced that he would resign within 48 hours and called for early elections. “I am going to resign from the Chief Minister’s post, and I will not sit in the Chief Minister’s chair until the public delivers its verdict on whether Kejriwal is honest. A meeting will be called with all Aam Aadmi Party MLAs to choose a new leader who will serve as Chief Minister until elections are held,” said the convener of the AAP.
Following this announcement, the AAP held a meeting of its MLAs on September 17 and elected Atishi as the leader of the legislature party. Atishi was sworn in as the CM on September 21, making her the youngest CM to lead the Delhi government. At the time of swearing-in, she held as many as 13 portfolios, including education and PWD.
Way ahead for Atishi and AAP
With Delhi assembly elections due in February 2025, the AAP has a lot on its plate to prove why their party should be re-elected in Delhi. One of the major work the AAP has to do in these months is to improve the air quality of the national capital. Despite making plans like Winter Action, the fresh air in Delhi becomes a rarity during winters.
While the AAP promised to clear all three landfills in the capital by December 2023, the date which keeps on extending, no major success has been achieved by the party yet. Incidents of fire breaking out at the landfill sites have been reported often.
The AAP also has to work on revamping the civic amenities in the national capital. The incidents related to illegal constructions, broken roads and waterlogging in many areas, including at Old Rajinder Nagar, where three IAS aspirants died in a flooded basement, have negatively affected the image of the AAP-ruled Delhi government.
The biggest challenge for the party will be to counter the narrative set by opposition parties regarding the involvement of AAP lawmakers in the alleged scams, be it in the excise policy scam or Waqf Board case.
Additionally, the Swati Maliwal episode has also put the AAP on the backfoot. The Rajya Sabha MP, in May, accused Kejriwal’s aide, Bibhav Kumar, of physically assaulting her when the former tried to meet Kejriwal at his official residence. It will be interesting to see how the party will handle all these issues before going to ask for votes for upcoming elections.
THE KEY AREAS
Since Atishi and her Cabinet have taken shape and the elections are due in the next few months, there will be some key works which will be taken up on priority. Among these will be the continuation of freebies like electricity, water, bus tickets, etc. for Delhiites. As per some political experts, the AAP dispensation may increase the free electricity to 300 units from 200 for every household. The government may also approve Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Yojana under which it had announced to give Rs 1000 to every woman who is over 18 years of age.
The focus will also likely be on developing a three-tier health system by opening more Mohalla Clinics in the areas where they are needed. Announcement of opening of more schools and colleges can be made in the coming days. Apart from free bus tickets for women, the facility can be extended to male students, and some provisions can be made available in metro services too. Similarly, some plans might be on the anvil to tackle pollution and for farmers living in rural areas of the city. For Delhi villages, slums and unauthorised pockets, major announcements may come in the next couple of months. The Atishi cabinet will also focus on pending proposals as the previous CM had been in jail for about six months since March 21.
According to sources, the new chief minister would provide an opportunity for AAP to reinvigorate governance, although all cabinet decisions still require the approval of the lieutenant governor (L-G), which could complicate the process.
Tussle with the L-G
Since the Kejriwal-led AAP came into power, it has become a routine affair for the public to suffer the consequences of the clashes between the lieutenant governor and the city government. From Najeeb Jung to Anil Baijal and now VK Saxena, the city government has always accused L-G of the day of deliberately stopping development works. Now, as the AAP has to go to the public in the next few weeks for canvassing votes, the newly formed government will have its work cut out. It will have to sort out differences with the L-G, who is the de facto power centre in the national capital. Any miscommunication and confrontation will harm the AAP’s poll prospects as people have given decisive mandates on all occasions to the party.
MCD’s performance also matters
In 2022, the AAP ended 15 years of BJP’s rule in the MCD. The party sought a mandate in the municipality claiming that it will change the face of the city by ensuring seamless services. Now, since AAP is ruling in both the Delhi government and the civic body, and its Standing Committee will be formed very soon, it will have to perform in a very short span. The AAP-ruled corporation will have to prove its efficiency for which it kept targeting the BJP while sitting in opposition.
What opposition parties say
On her elevation as the new CM, Delhi BJP has already stated that Atishi would be a “puppet CM” and the real reins of power would be with Kejriwal.
BJP’s Delhi chief Virendra Sachdeva has also said that ministers in the new cabinet such as Kailash Gahlot, Gopal Rai, Saurabh Bhardwaj, and Imran Hussain have all failed in their respective ministries in the previous government, and if they become ministers again, the people of Delhi will have no hope from them.
PREPARATIONS FOR DELHI POLLS
Though the assembly elections are scheduled in February next year, the AAP is gearing up for a battle with the opposition BJP and Congress, with a focus on strengthening its booth-level organisation.
The AAP has already declared that this election will be unprecedented in Indian history, claiming that even Prime Minister Modi is expected to campaign door-to-door. It has asked its office bearers to fight like commanders to ensure Kejriwal’s return as chief minister.
“In the last assembly elections, Amit Shah himself had to come and distribute pamphlets in the streets of Delhi for BJP. Because our workers forced him to do so. I guarantee that along with Amit Shah, Prime Minister Modi will also distribute pamphlets door to door in Delhi. This time I will also take one ‘Madal’ (division). No matter how much work I have, I will work in one division. Being a division in-charge, everyone’s first responsibility is to prepare an army under him,” AAP Rajya Sabha MP Dr Sandeep Pathak said last week.
Atishi’s journey in timeline
1981 Born to Delhi University professors Vijay Singh Tomar and Tripti Wahi.
1998 She completes higher secondary education at Springdales School.
2001 Earns a degree in History from St. Stephen’s College.
2003 Obtains a Master’s degree in History from Oxford University
2005 Receives Rhodes Scholarship at Magdalen College, Oxford
2006-12 Begins her work in organic farming and education sectors. Comes in contact with AAP members while working with several NPOs.
2012 Becomes one of the founding members of the Aam Aadmi Party
2013 Helps party in policy formulation and drafting manifesto for 2013 Delhi assembly elections
2015-18 Appointed as adviser to former deputy CM Manish Sisodia
2019 Unsuccessfully contests against BJP’s Gautam Gambhir in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections
2020 Wins Kalkaji legislative assembly seat in 2020 Delhi elections
2023 Gets inducted into Delhi cabinet; takes charge of multiple portfolios
2024 Atishi becomes 8th Delhi CM and third female chief minister
How Atishi bounced back
In 2018, the general administrative department (GAD) of the AAP government struck off the appointment of party members working as advisers on the advice of Union home ministry, stating that the posts held by the advisers are not in the list of posts approved for ministers and chief minister. Atishi was made to resign. In 2020, she bounced back by winning a seat in Delhi assembly polls
AAP’s big claim
The Aam Aadmi Party’s Durgesh Pathak said that in the last Delhi assembly elections (2020), the campaigning done by their party workers had forced Amit Shah to come to the streets and distribute pamphlets on the roads of Delhi. They believe that the situation this time would be even more unprecedented as Prime Minister Narendra Modi might himself distribute pamphlets door to door along with Shah