AAP leader Atishi officially took charge as the eighth Chief Minister of Delhi today, following the resignation of Arvind Kejriwal. Drawing a symbolic comparison to the Hindu epic Ramayana, Atishi said, “My situation is like that of Bharat, when Lord Shri Rama went into exile, and Bharat had to govern in his absence.” 

Atishi, 43, vowed to run the government for the next four months until the upcoming elections, just as “Bharat ruled with Lord Ram’s ‘khadaun’ (sandals) on the throne”. 

After assuming office, Atishi placed an empty chair next to hers, in a symbolic gesture towards her party chief Mr Kejriwal. “This chair belongs to Arvind Kejriwal. I am confident that the people of Delhi will reinstate him after four months,” she said.

Atishi was sworn in along with her cabinet on Saturday, with key members retaining their portfolios from the Kejriwal government. Atishi herself was overseeing crucial departments such as education, finance, power, and PWD, managing a total of 13 portfolios. Saurabh Bharadwaj, who holds eight portfolios, took charge the same day.

Newcomer Mukesh Ahlawat was entrusted with departments such as labour, SC/ST, and employment, while Gopal Rai retains his roles in development, environment, and general administration. 

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Sunday teased his cabinet colleague Ramdas Athawale over his ability to hold onto his cabinet spot across multiple governments. “It may not be guaranteed that our government will return for a fourth term, but what is definitely guaranteed is that Ramdas Athawale will become a minister,” he remarked at an event in Maharashtra’s Nagpur.

The playful jibe, with Mr Athawale present on stage, was followed by Mr Gadkari clarifying that he was “just joking.”

Mr Athawale, leader of the Republican Party of India (RPI), has served as a minister three times and expressed confidence in continuing his streak if the BJP returns to power.

Mr Athawale on Sunday said his party RPI (A), an ally in the ruling Mahayuti government in Maharashtra, should get to contest on at least 10 to 12 seats in the upcoming assembly elections. Addressing a press conference in Nagpur, Mr Athawale said the RPI-A will contest the election on its party symbol and ask for three to four seats in Vidarbha, including north Nagpur, Umred (Nagpur), Umarkhed in Yavatmal and Washim.

Mr Athawale’s party is part of the Mahayuti alliance, comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar’s NCP.

The Union minister said, “The RPI-A has made a list of 18 probable seats, which it will be sharing with the Mahayuti partners in a few days and expects to get at least 10 to 12 seats in the seat-sharing pact.” He said the BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP should give four seats each from their quota for his party.

In Palghar earlier this week, Mr Athawale claimed that due to the inclusion of the Ajit Pawar-led NCP in the Mahayuti government, the RPI (A) did not get any ministerial berth in the state despite a promise.

He claimed that the party was promised cabinet positions, chairmanship of two corporations, and roles in district-level committees, but all this could not happen because of Pawar’s inclusion.

The elections to 288 assembly seats in Maharashtra are likely to be held in November.

In the current assembly, the BJP is the single largest party with 103 MLAs, followed by Shiv Sena 40, NCP 41, Congress 40, Shiv Sena (UBT) 15, NCP (SP) 13 and others 29. Some seats are vacant.