Atishi Named Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly as AAP Regroups
As Delhi braces for a charged session, Atishi’s leadership will test AAP’s resilience against a resurgent BJP
Atishi Marlena, the former chief minister of Delhi, was selected Sunday as the Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly, a pivotal role for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as it shifts to the opposition benches after a decade in power. The decision, announced by party leaders after a meeting of AAP’s 22 legislators, positions the 43-year-old Kalkaji representative to spearhead the party’s response to the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) new dominance in the capital.
The meeting, held at AAP headquarters and attended by party chief Arvind Kejriwal, came a day before the assembly’s first session under BJP rule, set to begin Monday. The three-day session promises friction, with the BJP—led by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta—planning to table 14 long-pending Comptroller and Auditor General reports scrutinizing AAP’s governance. AAP leaders have dismissed the move as a political salvo, but it underscores the stakes for Atishi as she steps into a combative spotlight.
The BJP’s landslide victory on February 5, securing 48 of 70 seats, ended AAP’s grip on Delhi, reducing it to 22 seats. Kejriwal, a towering figure in AAP, lost his New Delhi constituency, as did former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, leaving Atishi—a rare winner in Kalkaji—as a natural choice. Educated at Oxford and a key architect of AAP’s education reforms, she briefly served as chief minister last year after Kejriwal’s resignation, earning praise for her tenacity despite the party’s electoral rout.
Atishi’s appointment marks a shift for AAP, now tasked with holding the BJP accountable on promises like a Rs 2,500 monthly stipend for women—a pledge yet to materialize. “The public has given us the duty of opposition,” she said in a brief statement, vowing “to show what a strong opposition looks like.” The BJP, meanwhile, aims to cement its mandate, with Gupta moving Monday to elect Vijender Gupta as speaker.
As Delhi braces for a charged session, Atishi’s leadership will test AAP’s resilience against a resurgent BJP, whose 27-year return to power has redrawn the capital’s political map.
