Atishi Appointed Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly, Marking a Historic First

In a significant political development, Atishi has been appointed as the Leader of the Opposition in the Delhi Assembly, as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) steps into the opposition space for the first time. She becomes the first woman to hold this position in the history of the Delhi Assembly.

Earlier this month, Atishi resigned as the Chief Minister of Delhi after a tenure of over 150 days, making her the second longest-serving woman Chief Minister after the late Sheila Dikshit. She was also the third woman to hold the chief ministerial post in the capital. The AAP, which previously secured two landslide victories in Delhi elections, was reduced to 22 seats in the 2025 polls.

Atishi has been a key figure in the AAP since joining the party at its inception in 2013. For nearly five years, she remained behind the scenes, contributing significantly to policy formulation. Between 2015 and 2018, she served as an advisor to then Education Minister Manish Sisodia, playing a pivotal role in the state’s educational reforms. However, she gained widespread recognition in 2018 when the Union Government dismissed ten advisors to Delhi cabinet ministers. Among them, Atishi’s removal was particularly controversial, as AAP highlighted that she was serving for a nominal salary of Re 1. Her Oxford University education and contributions to education policy reforms became the subject of extensive discussion.

In 2019, she was chosen as AAP’s Lok Sabha candidate for East Delhi but lost to cricketer-turned-politician Gautam Gambhir. That electoral defeat marked one of the few setbacks in her political career. In 2020, she successfully contested the Delhi Assembly elections from Kalkaji and quickly emerged as a key leader within the party.

Atishi was appointed as Delhi’s Education Minister in March 2023, succeeding Sisodia following his resignation due to an alleged involvement in the now-scrapped liquor policy case. Holding 13 portfolios, she became the minister with the highest number of responsibilities in the Delhi government. Her leadership was further underscored in August 2024, when she represented the Delhi government at the state-level Independence Day celebrations, as several senior cabinet ministers were in judicial custody.

Following the arrest of then-Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in March 2024, Atishi became the de facto face of the Delhi government despite the presence of senior leaders in the cabinet. Expectedly, she was appointed as Kejriwal’s successor when political and legal constraints necessitated his resignation. During her tenure, she solidified her position as a prominent leader, becoming the second longest-serving female Chief Minister of Delhi after Dikshit, who held office for over 15 years.

In the 2025 elections, while several top AAP leaders—including Kejriwal and Sisodia—failed to secure their seats, Atishi retained hers. She won against BJP heavyweight and former MP Ramesh Bidhuri by a margin of over 3,500 votes, securing 52,154 votes in total. Notably, Atishi remained one of the few senior AAP leaders untainted by corruption allegations, as the party grappled with legal troubles and allegations of financial misconduct.

As the BJP formed the government under newly appointed Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, Atishi was the clear choice to lead the opposition for AAP. Following her appointment as Leader of the Opposition, she reaffirmed her commitment to holding the government accountable. In a statement on X (formerly Twitter), she emphasized that the people of Delhi had entrusted AAP with the role of a strong opposition, and they would ensure that the BJP government fulfills its electoral promises.

Even before her formal appointment, Atishi had begun challenging the Gupta administration, particularly over its failure to implement the promised financial assistance scheme for women in Delhi. She also addressed concerns raised by the BJP regarding the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report, clarifying that as Chief Minister, she had signed and submitted the reports for tabling in the Assembly, irrespective of which party was in power.

With a first-time MLA leading the government and an experienced former Chief Minister heading the opposition, the Delhi Assembly is set for a dynamic political contest. This development is expected to bring greater attention to women's issues, as two female leaders take center stage in the state's governance.