Delhi Chief Minister Atishi tendered her resignation on Sunday at Raj Niwas, following AAP’s defeat in the assembly elections, while speculation mounts that the appointment of the next Chief Minister will take place after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s return from his US visit on 13 February.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has returned to power in the national capital after 27 years, securing 48 seats in the 70-member Assembly.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which governed Delhi for a decade, managed to win only 22 seats—a steep fall from its previous tally of 62.
Atishi, who had served as Chief Minister since September last year, submitted her resignation to Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena on Sunday.
Her elevation to the top post followed the resignation of Arvind Kejriwal.
Addressing the loss, Atishi remarked, “I acknowledge AAP’s defeat but will continue fighting against the BJP.”
Despite the party's overall debacle, she retained the Kalkaji seat after a tough contest, defeating BJP's Ramesh Bidhuri by a margin of 3,521 votes.
Atishi’s victory was a rare success for AAP, as its prominent leaders, including former CM Arvind Kejriwal and former Deputy CM Manish Sisodia, lost their seats.
BJP’s Parvesh Verma emerged as a giant-killer by defeating Kejriwal in New Delhi with a decisive margin of over 4,000 votes.
Also read: With Delhi win done, BJP now targets Bihar with 225-seat aim
The Congress failed yet again to win a single seat, disappointing its hopes for revival in Delhi.
The BJP, which did not announce a chief ministerial candidate before the elections, has begun high-level deliberations to select the next leader of the state.
Five names have emerged as frontrunners: Parvesh Verma, senior BJP leader Vijender Gupta, Satish Upadhyay, general secretary Ashish Sood, and RSS-backed leader Jitendra Mahajan.
Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva suggested that the decision would be made by the party’s central leadership, hinting at the possibility of a fresh face leading the government.
He did not rule out the option of appointing a woman Chief Minister.
Prime Minister Modi, scheduled to meet US President Donald Trump during his two-day Washington visit beginning 12 February, held a high-level meeting with Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP president JP Nadda at the party headquarters on Saturday.
While details of the meeting remain unclear, sources indicate that the BJP is likely to stake its claim to form the government next week, with the swearing-in expected shortly after Modi’s return.
As Delhi prepares for a change in leadership, BJP's triumph marks its historic return to power in the capital after 27 years.
Also read: 'Was saying for long...AAP didn’t understand': Hazare slams Kejriwal
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