Atishi is set to become the youngest Delhi chief minister and the third woman to hold the post after Sushma Swaraj and Sheila Dikshit.
The oath-taking ceremony will be held at Raj Bhavan on Saturday at 4.30 pm. Besides Atishi, AAP leaders, including Gopal Rai, Kailash Gahlot, Imran Hussain, Saurabh Bharadwaj and new entrant Mukesh Ahlawat will also be sworn in as ministers in the rejigged Delhi cabinet.
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Though for a short term, she will face a list of crucial challenges, including ensuring the return of AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal as chief minister.
Assembly elections
Arvind Kejriwal said he will return as chief minister only after AAP wins the upcoming assembly elections. The current AAP government will complete its tenure on February 23, 2025. Though Kejriwal has sought early elections in Delhi along with the Maharashtra assembly polls in November, the Election Commission has not responded in this regard. Atishi's main challenge as interim chief minister will be to ensure AAP victory in the upcoming polls as the embattled party hopes to win back the trust of Delhi voters amid liquor policy row and money laundering allegations. AAP drew a blank in Delhi during the Lok Sabha elections held a few months ago.
Stalled welfare schemes
Another issue that needs Atishi's immediate attention will be the pending public welfare schemes. These include the Electric Vehicle Policy 2.0 and the Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Yojana. There are criticisms from many corners that the Delhi infrastructure has deteriorated amid legal challenges faced by AAP's top leaders. Party insiders believe that Atishi can easily manage the tasks at hand as she had been handling 13 portfolios in the Kejriwal government, including finance, revenue, education and public works department.
Delhi pollution menace
Winter is coming! And as seen in the previous years, the pollution menace will the biggest headache for whoever helms the Delhi government. Atishi, as CM, will have to ensure that Graded Response Action Plan (Grap) guidelines are implemented properly, including cutting down on vehicular emissions. She will also have to with the governments in neighbouring states like Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to tackle stubble burning by farmers in order to ensure clean air in Delhi.
Relationship with Delhi Lt Guv
Like governors in other non-NDA-ruled states, Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena has also locked horns with the government of Delhi. Atishi will have to tread carefully in this regard to ensure smooth governance for the remainder of AAP's tenure.
Finding the right balance
Atishi is already facing criticism that she will become a "puppet" chief minister controlled by Kejriwal. Hence, she has to ensure that she acts independently while also not undermining the senior leaders in her party.
