5 Times When Delhi CM Designate Atishi Landed Into Controversy

Atishi is replacing Arvind Kejriwal as Delhi CM five months ahead of the crucial Delhi Assembly elections.

Arvind Kejriwal today tendered his resignation from the post of Delhi Chief Minister while Atishi has been nominated for the post, the opposition got a chance to criticise the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Calling Atishi a "Dummy CM," rebel AAP Rajya Sabha MP Maliwal said that Atishi's parents had written mercy petitions for Afzal Guru. "Today is a very sad day for Delhi. Today, a woman is being made the Chief Minister of Delhi whose family fought a long battle to save terrorist Afzal Guru from hanging. Her parents wrote mercy petitions to the Honourable President to save terrorist Afzal Guru. According to them, Afzal Guru was innocent and was framed as part of a political conspiracy," Maliwal said in a post on X.

While the work of Atishi as Delhi CM will be put to the test after five months when Delhi goes to the polls, here are five controversies linked to Atishi and her parents:

Afzal Guru Mercy Petition

Atishi's parents Tripta Wahi and Vijay Singh reportedly were part of the group that filed a mercy petition for Parliament attack convict terrorist Afzal Guru. Aam Aadmi Party's political opponents have used this to accuse her parents of supporting anti-national elements. 

Probe For Links With SAR Gilani

In 2016, the Delhi Police reportedly questioned several DU Professors including Tripti Wahi for sharing the dais with SAR Gilani, another DU professor arrested under sedition and other charges. However, no actionw as taken againt Wahi.

'Vote For Goons'

Ahead of the 2019 polls, during campaigning, Atishi was accused of asking the voters to vote for opposition candidates to defeat the BJP even if the opposition candidate was a goon/gunda. She drew flak for her remarks as well. "In UP only the coalition of SP and BSP can defeat BJP. So if we were UP voters, what should we do, we should vote for the coalition no matter who is the candidate. I spoke to one of my known people from UP, and he told me that the candidate from our area is a goon, so what should we do? I said blindly go and vote for the coalition because this is an election where we need to defeat the BJP," said Atishi.

Surname Row

Atishi’s full name used to be 'Atishi Marlena'. Several reports claimed that the surname was derived from Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin. In 2018, she changed her name to just Atishi, drawing flak from the BJP.

Gautam Gambhir Pamphlet Row

During the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Atishi ran against cricketer-turned-politician Gautam Gambhir in East Delhi. AAP alleged that Gambhir distributed defamatory pamphlets against Atishi, filled with personal insults and slanderous remarks. The controversy escalated into a major political spat, with Atishi breaking down during a press conference. Gambhir denied the allegations, calling it a political stunt by AAP.