New Delhi : Delhi creates history! Atishi, the first woman in the history of Delhi Assembly to be appointed as Leader of Opposition. This was decided during a meeting of party MLAs which was attended by party chief Arvind Kejriwal and other top leaders of AAP.
Atishi’s elevation comes at a pivotal moment, with the first session of the newly-elected Delhi Assembly set to convene on 24 February. The BJP-led government is likely to table pending Comptroller Auditor General (CAG) reports that it claims point to corruption in AAP’s previous tenure in this three-day session that is likely to be contentious.
The BJP scored a stunning victory in Delhi earlier this month, sweeping 48 of 70 seats, while AAP won 22. Meanwhile, the Congress could not open its account. These elections are a big blow for AAP where even Kejriwal and top brass such as Manish Sisodia lost their seats.
As the new assembly goes to work, BJP’s Vijender Gupta has been nominated as the Speaker and Arvinder Singh Lovely will serve as the pro-tem Speaker through the initial proceedings.
The CAG report which will be placed on the table during the second day of the session is expected to be particularly heated, reportedly exposing financial irregularities in AAP’s excise policy, the education sector and even the controversial renovation of the residence of the former chief minister.
With Atishi addressing the opposition, AAP’s response to these allegations will be closely watched.
