The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Sunday unanimously elected former Delhi Chief Minister and Kalkaji MLA Atishi as the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly. The appointment, endorsed by all party MLAs in the presence of AAP National General Secretary (Organisation) and Observer Dr. Sandeep Pathak, signals the party’s intent to mount a strong challenge against the BJP government.
With MLA Sanjeev Jha proposing her name and MLAs Kuldeep Kumar and Jarnail Singh backing the nomination, Atishi now takes on the mantle of leading AAP’s legislative fight in a politically charged Delhi.
After the meeting, AAP’s National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal met all the MLAs and congratulated Atishi on being chosen as the leader of the AAP in the House. He stated, ““I congratulate Atishi ji for being elected as Leader of AAP in the House. AAP will play the role of constructive opposition in the interest of people of Delhi.”
Meanwhile, senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia stated on his ‘X’ handle: “Heartfelt congratulations to Atishi ji on being elected as the Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly. The Aam Aadmi Party will play the role of a responsible and active opposition, always giving priority to the interests of the people of Delhi.”
Senior AAP leader and Delhi State Convenor Gopal Rai stated, “A meeting of the AAP’s newly elected MLAs was convened in Delhi today. During this meeting, the process of electing the leader of the AAP legislative party was completed. The party had appointed Sandeep Pathak as the observer for this process. Under his supervision, the selection of the AAP legislative party leader was successfully concluded.”
The AAP Delhi State Convenor shared, “In this meeting, Atishi was unanimously elected as the leader of the AAP legislative party. Since the people of Delhi have given AAP the mandate to sit in the opposition, Atishi will now serve as the Leader of the Opposition in the Delhi Assembly. This proposal was unanimously passed by all MLAs. It was initially put forward by MLA Sanjeev Jha and was supported by Kuldeep Kumar and Jarnail Singh. Afterward, the opinions of all MLAs were taken, and the proposal was approved unanimously.”
Gopal Rai emphasized that Atishi previously took on the responsibility of Chief Minister during a challenging time in Delhi and has also served as a minister in the government, and now has a dual responsibility. She will safeguard the public welfare initiatives that the AAP government, under Arvind Kejriwal’s leadership, has implemented, while also ensuring that the BJP fulfills the promises it made to the people of Delhi.
He further added that the BJP secured a majority based on these promises, and if it backtracks, the AAP will act as a formidable and responsible opposition to hold them accountable. “I am confident that the BJP will have to implement the promises it made, and at the same time, we will ensure that the work done by the AAP government for the welfare of Delhi’s people is protected,” said the AAP Delhi State Convenor.
Gopal Rai affirmed, “This dual responsibility rests on the shoulders of our Leader of the Opposition, and the entire legislative party will work together to advance this cause in the Assembly.”
On being appointed as the leader of the opposition, senior AAP leader and former Delhi CM Atishi stated, “First and foremost, I want to express my gratitude to AAP national convenor, Arvind Kejriwal, and the entire legislative party for placing their trust in me and assigning me the responsibility of leading the legislative party.”
She further added that the people of Delhi have elected AAP to serve in the opposition, and we accept this responsibility with full commitment. A strong opposition plays a crucial role in democracy, and AAP will ensure that the voices of the people are effectively raised in the Assembly. The BJP made several promises to the people of Delhi, based on which they received the public mandate. As the opposition, it is our duty to ensure that these promises are fulfilled.
Pointing out to the promises made by the BJP, Atishi said, “One of the most significant promises was made by PM Narendra Modi himself—he guaranteed that in the very first cabinet meeting, a scheme would be approved to provide ₹2,500 per month to every woman in Delhi, with the first installment to be credited by March 8. During his election campaign in Delhi, PM Modi personally gave this guarantee.”
“However, the first cabinet meeting has already taken place, and this scheme was not approved. As the opposition, it is our responsibility to hold the BJP accountable for this unfulfilled promise. We assure the women of Delhi that the AAP will fight to ensure they receive the ₹2,500 per month that was guaranteed by PM Modi,” she asserted.
In response to a question, Atishi said, “We have two key agendas as the opposition. First, we will ensure that the BJP fulfills the promises it made to the people of Delhi, particularly the ₹2,500 monthly allowance for women, which remains our top priority. Second, there have been indications from BJP ministers that they may attempt to roll back the initiatives implemented by the AAP government under Arvind Kejriwal’s leadership.”
She highlighted that recently, the Health Minister stated that several Mohalla Clinics might be shut down. “If any attempt is made to harm the interests of the people of Delhi, the AAP MLAs will fight back—whether inside the Assembly or on the streets—to protect the rights of Delhi’s residents,” asserted Atishi.
Responding to media questions on the discussion of the CAG report in the House, Atishi said that as Chief Minister, she had sent the CAG report to the Speaker of the Assembly. She stated that the BJP’s claim of having decided to present the report is misleading because the sealed CAG report had already been submitted to the Speaker before the elections. It was always meant to be presented in the first session of the House. Atishi emphasized that the BJP’s attempt to create confusion over the matter is entirely false. She added that AAP also wants the truth about the CAG report to be made clear to the public.
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