Kejriwal recommends Bharadwaj, Atishi’s inclusion in his council of ministers

Kejriwal sent the recommendation to the lieutenant governor (LG), VK Saxena, a day after Sisodia and Jain resigned on Tuesday

Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday recommended the inclusion of Saurabh Bharadwaj and Atishi in his council of ministers to fill the vacancies created after the resignation of deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain, a Delhi government official said.

Atishi, 41, a Rhodes scholar, is a first-time lawmaker from Kalkaji. (Twitter)

Kejriwal sent the recommendation to the lieutenant governor (LG), VK Saxena, a day after Sisodia and Jain resigned on Tuesday.

The resignations came after Sisodia was arrested on Sunday in connection with alleged irregularities in the now-scrapped excise policy. Jain was arrested in May last year in a money laundering case.

Bharadwaj and Atishi have been at the forefront of defending the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which has been under fire over graft charges.

Their inclusion 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 council in November following the resignation of Rajendra Pal Gautam.

Bharadwaj, 43, the Delhi Jal Board vice chairman, is a third-time lawmaker in Greater Kailash. He served as a minister in AAP’s brief first 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. She is believed to have played a key role in the AAP government’s education reforms and worked closely with Sisodia.

Kejriwal earlier distributed over a dozen portfolios, including finance, planning, power, home, and education, that Sisodia held among ministers Kailash Gahlot and Anand. The ministers will take charge of these departments after a notification is issued.

An official said the next year is crucial for AAP as it will have to showcase its work ahead of the 2024 national polls. “In such a situation, the Cabinet has to function at full strength so that the work of the people does not suffer,” the official said.

The AAP government faces multiple probes. AAP leaders have also complained that the bureaucrats were not cooperating with them and that LG was “interfering” in the work of the government.

LG has rejected the charge saying he is working as per the Constitution.