Why AAP chose Atishi: The young, articulate woman face gives party chance to hit refresh

You can agree or disagree with the first two comparisons, but the third one is misplaced. For, Atishi is a colleague of Kejriwal and, if nothing else, the outgoing CM has shied away from installing his wife Sunita Kejriwal on the Dilli gaddi. Many thought he would – like Lalu.

Atishi’s elevation also has something to do with Delhi, the rapid changes that are taking place in the country’s capital. And of course, it is about Kejriwal’s politics, which has brought about a change of guard in Delhi. Whether Atishi will be CM for two months or five, depending on when the Assembly elections are held in Delhi – she has said Kejriwal will be back as CM if the AAP wins – she has obviously been chosen with care over other senior leaders in the party.

With an accomplished academic record, Atishi has proved capable of grasping complex issues. She is also articulate and was seen taking charge when Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia and others were in jail. Above all, she has proved her loyalty to both Sisodia, with whom she worked closely in the sphere of education, and Kejriwal, referring to them as her “guru”. She is not likely to be a threat to Kejriwal as and when he wants to return as CM, if the party wins in the elections. A Rakhi Birla, another AAP woman leader, would have been that much more difficult to replace because she is also a Dalit.

While Atishi is not a mass leader, nor does she have a lobby promoting her, the AAP sees her appealing to the Sheila Dikshit constituency in Delhi, comprising people who fondly recall her 15 straight years in power from 1998 onwards. Atishi could also soften the middle class, where the AAP has lost ground. While it remains popular in the Capital’s jhuggi jhompdis, anti-incumbency of 10 years is seen in the middle-class colonies.

Atishi is also a credible woman face. The AAP has built a constituency among women, starting from the improvement of schools, to its schemes such as free bus travel for women and money into women accounts. Atishi will now have to operationalise the latter, the critical Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Yojana to give Rs 1,000 per month to women.

Given that Atishi is known for her uprightness, Kejriwal will also hope this helps the party with an image makeover at a time when many AAP leaders are facing allegations in the liquor policy scam. Honesty in politics was the AAP’s Unique Selling Point.

Atishi is set to be the third woman CM of Delhi, after the BJP’s Sushma Swaraj (for a few months in 1998) and Dikshit (1998-2013). Many states have had women CMs – like Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal, J Jayalalithaa in Tamil Nadu, Mehbooba Mufti in Jammu and Kashmir, Mayawati in Uttar Pradesh, and in earlier years, Nandini Satpathy in Odisha and Sucheta Kripalani in UP. Delhi is the only state, rather city-state, which has now got a third woman CM.

The BJP has attacked the “Left leanings” of her parents, talking of the “Marlena” last name she used earlier, given by her parents and standing for ‘Marx’ and ‘Lenin’. The fact that Atishi’s parents, who are former university professors and activists, had spoken up in support of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru has also been brought up. While the BJP might be looking to rally its Hindu vote with this, many believe this may actually end up helping the AAP with the Muslims, who have viewed the party with suspicion over its silence on the community’s issues and nurtured a pro-Hindu image.

Come now to Kejriwal. To him remains the credit of having forged a political party from a movement in 10 years, not accomplished by any other in the period since Independence, and going on to ensure national status for it. The Assam movement in the early Eighties transitioned into a party in 1985, from AASU to Asom Gana Parishad, but it ruled only one state.

AAP is a political newbie viewed by established parties as an “upstart” – with Kejriwal seen as a “black box” (using the words of a former colleague), who does not reveal his mind easily. But he is known now for sensing the political pulse and for catching his opponents by surprise, as he did with his resignation.

But today Kejriwal probably faces his biggest challenge – to guard his fiefdom, with fatigue setting in, and yet to expand his footprint nationally. And, what is more, to do this against a formidable foe like the BJP, weakened though it is, and even more important with the signs of a Congress reviving, at whose expense the AAP grew.

In the context of India, Delhi is undoubtedly only a city-state, with the CM’s powers severely circumscribed. But Kejriwal knows that as the country’s capital, with the world beating a path to its door, and located in India’s heartland surrounded by states like UP, Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi’s importance goes far beyond. It is also a microcosm of India today, with its character having undergone a dramatic change, from a city of essentially Punjabi refugees who came over at the time of Partition, to a city where Biharis – or Uttarakhandis – are as important.

So Kejriwal, with his team, which includes the new CM Atishi – and the party did not split in the last couple of years, despite its tribulations – has his task cut out. He is called to keep his flock together, overcome the damage caused by the liquor scam charges and the fatigue after 10 years in power, and stay a step ahead of his opponents, both an aggressive BJP and ally-cum-rival the Congress.

Atishi is essentially a poll-time CM. Many will now watch how she utilises the short time given to her to make her mark – and endear herself to Dilliwallas – without being a threat to the party brass.