Delhi CM Atishi resigns after AAP’s election defeat

Atishi took oath as chief minister in September last year.

Delhi Chief Minister Atishi submitted her resignation to Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena on Sunday, following a significant defeat of her party, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), in the recent assembly elections.

Despite retaining her seat in Kalkaji, Atishi's resignation came as part of a broader response to the AAP's performance, where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) reasserted its dominance by securing 48 out of the 70 assembly seats, a return to power after a 26-year hiatus. The AAP managed to win only 22 seats, while the Indian National Congress failed to win any seats in the elections held on February 5.

Political analysts said that the BJP will formally stake its claim to governance in the coming week, contingent upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi's return from an overseas engagement, according to party insiders.

Atishi ascended to the chief ministerial role in September of the previous year after the resignation of AAP convener and her predecessor, Arvind Kejriwal, who stepped down amidst corruption allegations.