AAP leader Atishi set to become Delhi minister. 5 points about her

In a major rejig of the Delhi cabinet necessitated by the resignations of deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday sent the names of Aam Aadmi Party MLAs Saurabh Bhardwaj and Atishi to Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena to be elevated as ministers. Jain, who was Delhi's health minister, was arrested in 2022 in a money laundering case. His portfolios were later given to Sisodia, who was in charge of 18 departments till last night.

Sisodia was arrested on Sunday by the CBI in connection with the Delhi excise policy case.

Portfolios held by Sisodia and Jain were re-distributed last night to existing ministers Raaj Kumar Anand and Kailash Gahlot, but Bhardwaj had said two new names would be inducted. "Cabinet in Delhi is quite small and most important departments were handled by Jain and Sisodia. To avoid being behind in terms of work, two new ministers will be appointed very soon," he said Tuesday.

5 things to know about Atishi, one of the AAP's more popular faces:

1. Born in 1981 to Delhi University (DU) professors Vijay Singh and Tripta Wahi, Atishi completed her schooling and undergrad from Delhi. After graduating in History from DU's St Stephen's College in 2001, she went to Oxford University in the United Kingdom. Prior to her foray into politics, she taught History and English at the Rishi Valley School in Andhra Pradesh.

2. From 2013, Atishi has been associated with the Arvind Kejriwal-led party and played an important role in reforms in Delhi's educational institutions. She is credited with bettering the infrastructure of government schools, initiating school management committees, curbing private institutions from arbitrary school fee hikes, and the 'happiness' curriculum - which focuses on mental wellbeing.

3. She was appointed as an advisor to Sisodia - whose portfolios included education - in 2015. In 2018, she dropped her second name - Marlena - from all party records and campaign materials; a party leader said that was done because the BJP was trying to polarise voters by labelling her a 'foreigner and Christian'.

Also read: Delhi turned into dumping yard during BJP's tenure in MCD: AAP leader Atishi

4. Atishi contested from the East Delhi constituency in the 2019 Lok Sabha election and lost to BJP candidate and cricketer-politician Gautam Gambhir.

5. In her debut Assembly poll in 2020, Atishi won the Kalkaji seat with over 11,000 votes beating BJP's Dharmabir Singh, who got 39,438 votes.