AAP National Convenor and outgoing Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal proposed the name of Atishi Marlena as his successor while addressing a meeting of party MLAs.
As per media reports, she was then elected as leader of the Delhi AAP Legislative Party. As she takes the oath of office later in the day, she will become the third women Chief Minister of Delhi, after Sushma Swaraj and Sheila Dixit. Overall, she will be the 8th CM of Delhi. However, the announcement of her name as the next Delhi CM has triggered massive outrage with netizens flagging her controversial past.
Atishi has been announced as the new Chief Minister of Delhi, following the resignation of Arvind Kejriwal. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislative party elected her as their new leader.
Prior to this, Atishi served in Kejriwal’s cabinet, overseeing key ministries such as Public Works Department (PWD) and Revenue. Her name had been speculated for the role ever since Kejriwal’s resignation, and now it’s official—Atishi will lead Delhi.
Atishi, the MLA from Kalkaji assembly constituency, comes from a family deeply rooted in academics. Her parents, Vijay Singh and Tripta, are both professors at Delhi University and belong to the Rajput community with Punjabi heritage. At 43, Atishi is married to Praveen Singh, a social worker, who also comes from a Rajput background. The couple knew each other before their marriage and gradually developed a relationship that led to their union.
Interestingly, Atishi doesn’t use a surname. Her full name was initially “Atishi Marlena,” a unique choice influenced by her father Vijay Singh’s admiration for Marxist ideology. The “Marlena” suffix is a combination of “Marx” and “Lenin,” reflecting her father’s left-leaning political beliefs. As a result, the family chose not to give her a traditional surname but instead opted for this ideological blend.
During the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Atishi’s unusual surname became a point of controversy. The opposition falsely claimed she was a Christian, largely due to the confusion surrounding the name “Marlena.” As rumors spread across social media, the association between her name and Christianity gained traction. To avoid further misrepresentation, Atishi dropped “Marlena” from her name and now simply goes by “Atishi.”
With Atishi’s appointment as Delhi’s CM, her parents have also come under scrutiny. Swati Maliwal, a former leader of both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and AAP, has alleged that Atishi’s parents supported Afzal Guru, the convict in the 2001 Parliament attack case. According to Maliwal, Vijay Singh and Tripta signed a petition seeking clemency for Guru. This revelation has sparked a fresh debate on social media, with people discussing the role Atishi’s family played in the controversial mercy petition.
