The Delhi battlefield may not be a cakewalk for the Rhodes Scholar.
The party has rejected reports that it forced the AAP leader to change her last name because it was "Christian-sounding".
Delhi's third woman Chief Minister Atishi, who replaced Arvind Kejriwal after his resignation in September last year, filed her nomination on Tuesday for the upcoming Assembly polls, declaring a net worth of Rs 76.93 lakh, with no car or house in her name. According to Atishi's affidavit submitted to the Election Commission (EC), her movable assets include Rs 30,000 cash in hand, gold jewellery worth Rs 1 lakh and approximately Rs 75 lakh held in bank accounts as fixed deposits and savings. The affidavit also revealed that Atishi does not own any immovable property.
Following the results on Saturday, Maliwal attacked AAP for losing Delhi assembly elections, stating that god "punishes" those who commit crime against woman.
Delhi Chief Minister Atishi was reduced to tears at a press conference on Monday, reacting to controversial remarks made by BJP leader Ramesh Bidhuri regarding her surname. Bidhuri, the BJP candidate for Kalkaji, claimed Atishi changed her surname from "Marlena" to "Singh" and accused her of changing political allegiances. Atishi countered by asking Bidhuri to focus on his work for the constituency rather than making personal attacks. The incident has sparked controversy and highlights the increasingly heated rhetoric in the run-up to the Delhi Assembly elections.
Delhi's youngest Chief Minister Atishi took charge of the capital's government on Monday, September 23, 2024.
Atishi will handle education, PWD, power and tourism departments, while Bharadwaj will look after health, urban development, water and industries.
Bharatiya Janarta Party candidate Ramesh Bidhuri on Wednesday again targeted Delhi chief minister and his rival from Kalkaji seat Atishi, saying she was running around like a 'hirni' (doe) in the streets of the constituency ahead of assembly polls after doing little for the people for years.
Atishi, a prominent leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), has retained the Kalkaji Assembly seat in the Delhi elections. She defeated her BJP rival, former MP Ramesh Bidhuri, by a margin of 3,521 votes. Atishi's win comes as a relief for the AAP, which suffered major losses in the polls. She had previously served as the Chief Minister of Delhi for a short period last year. Atishi's victory is significant as she is one of the few AAP leaders to win in the elections. Her win is likely to solidify her position within the party.
The proposed visit, Atishi's petition said, is significant for Delhi's governance as it will allow the city government to "showcase the leaps" made in areas of education, health, and urban development.
Manish Sisodia, Satyender Jain, Gopal Rai, Kailash Gehlot, Imran Hussain, and Rajendra Gautamas took oath as the ministers in Delhi.
Sources said Saurabh Bharadwaj and Atishi will be sworn in on Thursday.
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Wednesday took a couple of sips of water from the Yamuna river to counter claims by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) that Haryana was polluting the river with industrial waste. He accused AAP leaders of spreading "poison" in politics and said their minds were filled with poison. The incident comes days before the Delhi assembly polls where the BJP and AAP are locked in a fierce battle.
The AAP leader, who has been recently in the news for supposedly dropping her second name, has been active in reforming the education and health sector.
The tussle between the AAP government and the Centre escalated on Tuesday with the cancellation of appointment of nine advisors to Delhi ministers following the Union home ministry's directions which said these posts were "not sanctioned".
The BJP has fielded Bidhuri from Kalkaji assembly constituency. He will take on AAP candidate and Delhi Chief Minister Atishi, who is seeking re-election from the seat.
As leaders in both the BJP and Congress concede, neither has within their parties a leader to match Arvind Kejriwal's charisma in Delhi.
Aam Aadmi Party dissident leader Prashant Bhushan on Tuesday rubbished criticism by former AAP spokesperson Atishi Marlena that he backed out of the reconciliatory talks with Arvind Kejriwal camp on his father Shanti Bhushan's insistence, saying the negotiations collapsed due to "trust deficit".
AAP leaders went on a selfie spree after the party blazed through the Delhi assembly polls.
The Gautam Gambhir Foundation aims at supporting children of slain armed personnel and providing post-trauma counselling and 100 per cent funding of education.
Glimpses from all the action from the campaign trail.
A Delhi court on Wednesday allowed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to formally arrest Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the alleged excise scam.
The Aam Aadmi Party has alleged misappropriation of over Rs 2,400 crore in the North Delhi and South Delhi municipal corporations, and had announced to stage protests outside the residences of Shah and Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal from Sunday till the probe is ordered.
The Aam Aadmi Party's Party's East Delhi candidate Atishi talks on her competition against the Bharatiya Janata Party candidate, the former cricketer -- Gautam Gambhir, and her agenda for the polls.
Congratulatory messages poured in for 37-year-old Gambhir from fellow cricketers on social media.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal 'directly used' part of the alleged Rs 100 crore generated from the 'kickbacks' of the Delhi excise policy 'scam' by staying in a luxury hotel in Goa, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has claimed in its charge sheet filed against the Aam Aadmi Party supremo.
While the process of extracting plasma itself is simple, doctors say that it is the screening of donors, testing and filling up of numerous forms that takes time.
Sources said the MHA directions came after the services department wrote to it seeking to know the legal status of the appointment of the nine advisors.
With the special officer and the new commissioner taking charge, the exercise to reshuffle and reorganise the municipal staff will begin.
Dilip Pandey, Atishi and Raghav Chadha, who unsuccessfully contested the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, will also contest the assembly elections to be held on February 8.
Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said the PAC, has entrusted Vishwas with the responsibility of Rajasthan which goes to polls by the end of 2018.
AAP spokesperson Bhardwaj claimed participation of over 45000 people in the march despite police bid to foil it.
Addressing a press conference at the AAP headquarters, senior party leader Manish Sisodia, who was the deputy chief minister in the outgoing government, said the cabinet ministers will also take oath along with Kejriwal.
As the Aam Aadmi Party heads for a resounding win in Delhi, Rediff.com's Syed Firdaus Ashraf lists the reasons behind Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's triumph.
Bharatiya Janata Party's Chief Ministerial nominee Kiran Bedi today dodged AAP Chief Arvind Kejriwal's challenge for an open debate on crucial issues facing the city while Congress' Ajay Maken expressed readiness for such a "healthy" exercise in the run up to the assembly polls.
'Mr Kejriwal has played it cool in distancing himself from Delhi's hotspots, adroitly pandering to the BJP's Hindu vote.' 'He neither visited the scene of JNU violence nor has he dropped by at Shaheen Bagh,' notes Sunil Sethi.
Kapil Baisala and his father joined the AAP in early 2019, police said. DCP (Crime Branch) Rajesh Deo said his mobile phone has been seized and they have retrieved his WhatsApp data and photos of him and his father joining the party. Baisala's police custody has been extended by two days.
With the tide of public disillusionment rising against his government, Arvind Kejriwal is trying at least publicly to extend the olive branch to both Narendra Modi and Najeeb Jung. Privately, he has confided to his confidantes that much as he dislikes it, he must do his best to soften these two reigning deities.
In further escalation of infighting, Aam Aadmi Party dissident leaders Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav on Friday mounted a no-holds-barred attack on party chief Arvind Kejriwal, accusing him of stifling internal democracy and adopting unfair means to capture power.
'The answer is no, the entire country's is.' 'So why such obsession with Delhi?' 'But the most powerful people in India live here: The prime minister, civil servants, Supreme Court judges, MPs, diplomats, dadas of the media...' 'If they can't deal with their own problem, what chance does the rest of the country have, with its foul air, dying rivers, frothing lakes, and crumbling mountains?' says Shekhar Gupta.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances