India News
Senior Aam Aadmi Party leader Atishi will become Delhi's future chief minister after Arvind Kejriwal proposed her as his successor.
Atishi dropped the surname 'Marlena' in 2018 owing to political concerns and the risk of misunderstanding.
Marlena's name was a mix of Marx and Lenin, symbolizing her parents' communist beliefs.
During her 2019 Lok Sabha election, Atishi faced speculation and allegations that her surname was associated with communist philosophy.
Given the sensitivity surrounding political ties in India, she chose to drop Marlena and use only her first name, Atishi, to avoid misinterpretation of her political opinions.
During the 2018 campaign, she said, "Marlena is not my surname it is Singh which I never used. The second name was given by my parents. I have decided to use just Atishi."