Saurabh Bharadwaj, Atishi take charge as ministers at Delhi secretariat

Both ministers held meetings with officials and said they will take forward the good work done by former deputy CM Manish Sisodia & Satyender Jain, who have been arrested in separate graft cases

Newly appointed ministers Saurabh Bharadwaj and Atishi took charge of their departments at Delhi secretariat on Friday, a day after they were sworn in as ministers in the Arvind Kejriwal-led cabinet.

Atishi (right) is an MLA from Kalkaji while Bharadwaj is from Greater Kailash constituency. (File image)

Both ministers held meetings with officials and said they will take forward the good work done by former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and Satyender Jain, who have been arrested in separate graft cases and subsequently resigned from their posts.

Atishi, MLA from Kalkaji, is heading six departments, including the key education and public works ministries, while Bharadwaj from Greater Kailash constituency, is heading seven departments, including health and water, according to a notification issued by the Delhi government.

The 18 departments of Sisodia have been allocated largely to Bharadwaj, Atishi and Kailash Gahlot.

Atishi (41) and Bharadwaj (43) were inducted into the cabinet eight days after the resignations of former deputy chief minister Sisodia and Jain, both of whom have been arrested and imprisoned over their alleged roles in separate cases.

Sisodia, who held key portfolios, including finance, education, health and public works, was arrested by the central bureau of investigation (CBI) on February 26 over alleged irregularities during the formulation and implementation of Delhi’s 2021-22 excise policy.

He was also arrested by the enforcement directorate (ED), as part of their investigations into the excise case, on Thursday evening.

Jain, who was Delhi’s health and public works minister, was arrested by ED on May 30 last year, with the agency citing money laundering allegations.

The two departments were later handed to Sisodia, while Jain remained a minister without a portfolio.

Atishi and Bharadwaj will also be expected to wrap up several pending projects across the national Capital, especially in the run-up to next year’s Lok Sabha elections.