Atishi Marlena Singh (Hindi:[ɑːtɪʃiːmɑːɾleːnɑːsɪŋɡʱ]; born 8 June 1981),[2] (also known as Atishi Singh or Atishi Marlena[3] or mononymously Atishi),[4] is an Indian politician who is currently serving as the 8th Chief Minister of Delhi since 21 September 2024, after the resignation of Arvind Kejriwal.[5][6] She belongs to the Aam Aadmi Party and is a member of its Political Affairs Committee, the governing body of the party. Prior to her appointment as the chief minister, she also served as the Minister of Education, P.W.D, Culture and Tourism in the Delhi Government. Previously, she served as advisor to the former Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, Manish Sisodia, primarily on education, from July 2015 to 17 April 2018.[7] Atishi is one of only two women currently serving as a chief minister in India, along with Mamata Banerjee of West Bengal.
Early life and education
Atishi was born to Delhi University professors Vijay Singh and Tripta Wahi on 8 June 1981. Although she comes from a family of Punjabi Rajput background, just before the 2019 Indian general election, she dropped 'Marlena' from her surname to “not want to waste time in proving her identity.”[8][9][10][11] She was given the middle name Marlena by her parents. According to her party, the name is a portmanteau of Marx and Lenin.[10]
In January 2013, she became involved in policy formulation for the AAP, which has its roots in that movement.[6]
She was closely involved with the Jal Satyagraha in Khandwa district of Madhya Pradesh 2015 and provided support to the AAP leader and activist spearheading the campaign Alok Agarwal during the historic protests, as well as during the legal battle that ensued.[16] After the 2020 elections, she was made the AAP's in-charge for its Goa unit.[17]
Member (2022-23), Committee on Welfare of Minorities[25]
Member (2022-23), Standing Committee on Education[25]
Member (2022-23), Standing Committee on Health[25]
Governance
Atishi was also spearheading the flagship Mohalla Sabha Project for the Government of NCT of Delhi. The effort to decentralise governance to empower every citizen was a major promise of the AAP before coming to power.[26]
On March 15, 2019, Atishi Marlena and three other party leaders were summoned to court in response to a defamation case filed by the Delhi BJP's vice-president, Rajeev Babbar. The case stemmed from their claim that the BJP had removed 30 lakh names from Delhi's voter list.[27] The court found the allegation prima facie defamatory and invoked Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for defamation. The case revolved around allegations of voter list manipulation and its impact on the BJP's reputation.[28]
BJP leader Praveen Shankar Kapoor filed a defamation suite in 2024 against Marlena and Kejriwal over the allegations of poaching.[29]
After being elected CM, Marlena was set to move into the CM's residence, a bungalow on 6, Flagstaff Road, on 7 October 2024.[30] However, on 9 October, the AAP alleged that the BJP had failed to allot the bungalow to her and that they were trying to "usurp" it, showing documentation that Kejriwal had already vacated the bungalow. The BJP responded by claiming that Kejriwal still had the keys to the bungalow and had failed to transfer them to Marlena himself.[31]