Atishi no. 1, Arvind Kejriwal in no. 41 in Delhi Assembly’s new seating plan

Newly appointed Delhi Chief Minister Atishi has been allotted the first seat in the Delhi Assembly according to the updated seating arrangement.

Former Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal, who earlier occupied the first seat in the Delhi Assembly, has been allotted seat number 41. Atishi, who last week became Delhi’s third female Chief Minister, earlier occupied seat number 19.

The seat numbers of several Delhi ministers, including Saurabh Bharadwaj, Kailash Gahlot and Mukesh Ahlawat have been changed. The seat number of Vijender Gupta, the Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly, has been changed from 94 to 100.

Saurabh Bharadwaj, who, along with Atishi, became the face of the party during the Lok Sabha polls, has been allotted the second seat in the House. He earlier occupied seat number eight.

Mukesh Ahlawat, who is a new inductee into the Delhi cabinet, has been given seat number 14. Former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Mansih Sisodia, who was granted bail by the Supreme Court for his alleged role in the liquor policy case, has been allotted seat number 41.

The new seating arrangement comes days after Atishi took charge as the Chief Minister of Delhi. The Kalkaji MLA took charge of office on September 23. However, she refused to sit on the chair used by her mentor Arvind Kejriwal and placed it beside her own to reiterate her unwavering allegiance to the former chief minister.

After assuming charge, Atishi said she would serve Delhi as its chief minister for four months like Ramayana’s Bharat, who ruled Ayodhya in the absence of his elder brother Lord Ram by placing his ‘khadaun’ (wooden slippers) on the throne.

“Today, I carry the same burden as Bharat did. Just as he placed Lord Ram’s sandals on the throne and ruled, I will govern Delhi for the next four months with the same spirit,” she had said.

It remains to be seen if she occupies the first seat in the Delhi Assembly or leaves it vacant, similar to how she left Kejriwal’s chair empty in the chief minister’s office.