‘I hope…’: Arvind Kejriwal on induction of Atishi, Saurabh Bharadwaj in cabinet

Atishi will be given education, PWD, power, and tourism departments, while Saurabh will get health, urban development, water, and industries departments, a Delhi government official said

NEW DELHI: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislators Saurabh Bharadwaj and Atishi took oath as cabinet ministers in the Arvind Kejriwal-led government in Delhi to occupy vacancies left in the wake of resignations by deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain, who have been arrested over their alleged roles in separate cases.

Atishi (41), a Rhodes scholar, is a first-time lawmaker from Kalkaji seat while Saurabh Bharadwaj is a three-time MLA from Greater Kailash (ANI)

Lieutenant governor (LG) VK Saxena administered them the oath of office and secrecy at a function at Raj Niwas which was attended by Kejriwal, ministers, leader of opposition Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, among others.

Arvind Kejriwal congratulated the two ministers. “Saurabh Bhardwaj and Atishi have been sworn in as ministers by LG. The way Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain were doing good work for Delhi, I hope they (Bharadwaj and Atishi) will also follow in their footsteps and do good work for the capital,” he said.

Atishi will be given education, PWD, power, and tourism departments, while Saurabh will get health, urban development, water, and industries departments, a Delhi government official said.

Atishi suggested this was an interim arrangement since Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain had been arrested in fake cases. “Till the time they return from jail in the fake cases, we will handle these departments and later on they (Sisodia and Jain) will handle the charges of education and health departments (respectively),” Atishi said.

“We pray that Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain come back from jail and handle the departments. The Centre will try to stop our work, but people understand when we do good work despite obstacles,” Saurabh Bhardwaj told reporters after the oath event.

Bharadwaj, (43), the Delhi Jal Board vice-chairman, is a three-time lawmaker from Greater Kailash who served as a minister in AAP’s brief stint in the government in 2013. Bharadwaj is also AAP’s chief spokesperson.

Atishi (41), a Rhodes scholar, is a first-time lawmaker from Kalkaji, and has been closely associated with the AAP government’s education reforms. and worked closely with Sisodia.

Sisodia was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the 2021-22 excise policy, while Jain has been in jail for nine months in an alleged money laundering case.

The President on Tuesday signed off on Kejriwal’s request to induct Saurabh Bharadwaj and Atishi into the council of ministers.

Kejriwal forwarded the names of the new ministers to the LG for their appointment on March 1, a day after Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain resigned on February 28.

Delhi can have a maximum of seven ministers including the chief minister.

Thursday’s induction of the two ministers is the Arvind Kejriwal government’s second reshuffle after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Bharadwaj will mark the second reshuffle in the council of ministers since the AAP government returned to power in 2020.

Raaj Kumar Anand was earlier inducted into the cabinet in November, after former social welfare minister Rajendra Pal Gautam resigned from the cabinet.

Kejriwal earlier distributed over 18 portfolios, including finance, planning, power, home, and education, that Sisodia held, among ministers Gahlot and Raaj Kumar.

For now, Gahlot’s portfolios include finance, law, transport, administrative reforms, information and technology, revenue, women and child development, planning, public works department, power, home, urban development, irrigation and flood control, water, and other departments not specifically allotted to any minister including excise.

Raaj Kumar is handling 14 departments which include education, health, industries, employment, labour, art & culture, tourism, services, vigilance, land and building, cooperative, social welfare, SC & ST, and gurudwara elections.

The Delhi government is scheduled to present its budget on March 21, as the Delhi assembly is expected to convene on March 17.

Gahlot is likely to present the annual budget for 2023-2024 in the Delhi assembly.