Heading Delhi Government Under Arvind Kejriwal’s Shadow, Confrontation With L-G: Challenges Before Atishi

What challenges will Atishi face as Delhi Chief Minister? As the former head of the government Arvind Kejriwal has already declared he would return to his office after the people of the city-state give him the certificate of honesty by voting for his party, Atishi will have to hand over the rein of Delhi to him. She would not be the chief minister anymore. All the decisions she makes should be viewed with the perspective that she has been put on the chair as a temporary arrangement.

As Arvind Kejriwal continues to hold his grip over the party, it is clear that Atishi will not be able to work independently, she will be under the influence of the man who launched a crusade against corruption in 2013 and promised to bring the parallel politics.

Will Politics Of Confrontation End?

Secondly, there is no apparent reason to hope the politics of confrontation between the Union Government and the Delhi Government will come to an end, particularly at a time when these are led by rival parties who have high stakes in Delhi politics. Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena has been accused of working under the influence of the BJP and the Union government and there is no sign of a change in his attitude.

Will Atishi Develop Harmonious Relationship With L-G?

The AAP and the Delhi Government have accused the L-G several times of obstructing the functioning of the city state's government. Arvind Kejriwal has said openly that the L-G does not allow him to work smoothly and he could not implement many of the welfare schemes simply because VK Saxena has not allowed him to do so.

Will Atishi develop a good and harmonious relationship with the Lieutenant Governor so that she can work independently and implement all the schemes she has thought of?  However, there is no sign of a thaw between the L-G and the Delhi Government.

Can Atishi Implement Her Schemes?

With 13 departments under her helm, Atishi emerged as the most important minister of the Delhi Government. She handled a variety of departments like finance, the Public Works Department, power, revenue, planning, services, vigilance, water and public relations, among others.

She is most likely to continue with all these departments to maintain the normal pace of the government and set an example of good governance.

Will 'Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Yojana' See Light?

Political analysts believe the most serious challenges that Atishi may face are likely to come from her attempts to implement some of the schemes of her own departments. It is natural that as the Chief Minister of the state, Atishi will push her favorite scheme that she planned as a minister and also mentioned in the Delhi Budget 2024 that she prepared as the Finance Minister of the city-state.

Atishi made provisions for a new women’s welfare scheme in the Delhi Government Budget 2024. Called the Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Yojana, every woman resident of Delhi will get Rs. 1,000 monthly under this scheme. Now, with Atishi at the helm of the affairs, the AAP may very soon issue a notification for this scheme, and the BJP will find it difficult to oppose it.

Though opposition from Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena cannot be ruled out, he too may find it difficult to stall it. If he does so, it will give the AAP another weapon to attack the L-G, the union government, and the BJP.

Will Education-Related Schemes Be Implemented?

Atishi may also like to push for the schemes she launched as the Education Minister of Delhi and received accolades for the same. Earlier, she worked under Manish Sisodia as his advisor when he was the Education Minister of Delhi. Serving as an advisor to Sisodia, she introduced the ‘Happiness Curriculum’ and ‘Entrepreneurship Mindset Curriculum’ in Delhi government schools. These programmes focused on students’ emotional well-being and skill development.

New EV Policy

Atishi is also likely to push for the Delhi government’s new electric vehicle (EV) policy as the older one expired in July. The new EV policy may be ready, but it is yet to be cleared by the cabinet. Will LG VK Saxena happily approve it or try to throw a spanner in the scheme as it is related to the environment, for which he has slammed Arvind Kejriwal and his government in the past?

Doorstep Delivery Of Services Scheme

Similarly, the ambitious and controversial doorstep delivery of services scheme of the government expired in March and the Atishi government needs to bring a new scheme and too keeping in mind the opposition it faced from the L-G.

Start-Up Policy

The start-up policy and food truck policy are other schemes that the AAP government will have to work and also satisfy the L-G.-educa

Will the Oxford-educated politician be able to achieve these targets within a span of a few months before the polls are announced and the Model Code of Conduct comes into force? Will she be able to find a common meeting ground with L-G VK Saxena despite all types of political compulsions? Political observers feel Atishi has donned a bigger hat and that too at the wrong time. However, politics is considered the art of achieving what is considered difficult to achieve.