Rhodes scholar Atishi to replace Kejriwal as Delhi chief minister

Liquor corruption scandal brought down Kejriwal

From left, Atishi with outgoing chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in New Delhi on Tuesday. Getty Images

Atishi, praised for overhauling Delhi's education system, is set to become the new chief minister of India's capital after Arvind Kejriwal signalled he would quit following a corruption scandal.

The 43-year-old Rhodes scholar, who uses only one name, is a vital member of the Aam Aadmi Party that administers Delhi and holds several cabinet portfolios in the city administration, including education and finance. She will be the capital's third female chief minister after Sheila Dikshit and Sushma Swaraj.

Mr Kejriwal, 56, was arrested in March by India's Enforcement Directorate, the federal financial crimes police, on suspicion of accepting bribes worth 1 billion rupees ($12 million) to pass an alcohol policy. He was detained in Delhi’s high-security Tihar jail and was awarded bail by the Supreme Court on Friday on a million-rupee bond.

The top court has barred him from visiting his office or the Delhi Secretariat that houses Delhi ministries. He was also ordered not to make any public comment on the case.

Mr Kejriwal rose to power after street protests against corruption a decade ago. On Sunday, he announced he would hand power to a successor but maintained he would be cleared of wrongdoing and could return.

“I will resign from the post of CM [chief minister] two days from today and ask people whether I am honest … I will only sit in the CM's chair after people give me a certificate of honesty,” he said.

Indian police have claimed Mr Kejriwal was the “kingpin” behind Delhi's alcohol policy. In 2021, the policy aimed at privatising the liquor business. Officials said it would increase revenue and eliminate the black market for spirits. However, it was cancelled by the government after the bribery allegations emerged, prompting the closure of about 850 private alcohol shops.

On Monday, Mr Kejriwal held a series of meetings with Aam Aadmi allies, in which Atishi, a confidante, was finalised as his successor. Atishi will lead the party in Delhi until elections for the city's Legislative Assembly in February, outgoing leader Gopal Rai said. Mr Rai is also expected to tender his resignation on Tuesday.

Atishi assumed a central role in the party after Mr Kejriwal and colleagues including Manish Sisodia were arrested over the corruption case. She became the face of the party during parliamentary elections this year in the absence of senior leaders, enhancing her public profile and popularity.

Atishi, a University of Oxford graduate, joined the party in 2013 at its formation and served as an adviser to former Delhi education minister Mr Sisodia before running for a parliamentary seat in 2019. She lost to Gautam Gambhir of the Bharatiya Janata Party. A year later, she ran for election to the Delhi Legislative Assembly and won against a BJP candidate.

She is largely credited with overhauling the education system for millions of disadvantaged children in Delhi's government-run schools, which were badly maintained for decades.