Introduction

Born on June 8, 1981, Atishi Marlena Singh is an Indian politician who became the Chief Minister of Delhi in September 2024. In addition, she is a member of the Aam Aadmi Party's Political Affairs Committee and a Kalkaji MLA. She previously advised former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and held the positions of Minister of Education, P.W.D., Culture, and Tourism.

Early life and education 

Atishi was born on June 8, 1981, into a Rajput Punjabi family. Her parents are professors Vijay Singh and Tripta Wahi of Delhi University. Her parents gave her the middle name "Marlena," which combines the names of Marx and Lenin. She gave up her last name in 2018 to devote herself to her career. She was born and raised in Delhi, where she went to Springdales School and St. Stephen's College to earn her history degree in 2001. On a Chevening scholarship, she completed her master's degree at Oxford in 2003, and in 2005, she attended Magdalen College as a Rhodes scholar.

Political career 

Atishi joined the AAP's policy staff in January 2013. She backed AAP leader Alok Agarwal as well as the 2015 Jal Satyagraha in Madhya Pradesh. She was made the head of the AAP's Goa section after the 2020 elections.

2019 Lok Sabha Elections 

Atishi, the AAP's East Delhi in-charge, ran in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from that seat but came in third place after losing to Gautam Gambhir of the BJP by 4.77 lakh votes.

2020 Delhi Legislative Assembly election 

Atishi defeated Dharambir Singh of the BJP by 11,422 votes to win the Kalkaji constituency in the 2020 Delhi Assembly election.

As a Cabinet Minister 

As Manish Sisodia and Satyender Jain resigned, Atishi joined the Delhi government as a Cabinet Minister alongside Saurabh Bharadwaj.

As a Chief Minister 

Member of Legislative Assembly 

Atishi has served as the 7th Delhi Assembly's Kalkaji constituency representative since 2020. She has chaired the Public Accounts Committee and served as a member of the Women and Child Welfare Committee, the Ethics Committee, the Committee on Minority Welfare, the Standing Committee on Education, and the Standing Committee on Health, among other committees.

Governance

A major AAP pledge, Atishi oversaw the Delhi government's Mohalla Sabha Project, which sought to empower individuals and decentralize authority.

Controversies 

On March 15, 2019, Atishi and three AAP representatives appeared in court in response to a defamation suit brought by Rajeev Babbar of the Delhi BJP, which involved allegations of voter list tampering. The claims were prima facie defamatory, according to the court. Due to accusations of poaching, BJP leader Praveen Shankar Kapoor sued Atishi and Kejriwal again in 2024 for slander.