New Delhi: Delhi CM-designate Arvind Kejriwal is likely to give a ‘more prominent' role to former minister and senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) party leader Manish Sisodia.
If sources are to be believed, Sisodia, MLA from Patparganj, is likely to be appointed the Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi. Sources also said that Sisodia, who triumphed over his former colleague Vinod Kumar Binny by a margin of over 28,000 votes, will be given additional the charge of Education, PWD and Revenue.
He was briefly a Cabinet minister in the 49-day long AAP government between late December 2013 and February 2014. He was given responsibility for Education, PWD, Urban Development, local bodies and land and building.
Sources also said that making Sisodia Deputy CM can be a tactical move, as AAP chief may shift his focus to Punjab and other states. AAP has 4 MP's from Punjab.
The party may contest the upcoming local body elections in Maharashtra, sources said.
There are reports that Kejriwal may keep three of its former ministers -- Rakhi Birla, Girish Soni and Somnath Bharti -- out of his new cabinet.
Meanwhile, sources confirmed that Gopal Rai, AAP MLA Babarpur, would be made the Speaker. In the previous government, MS Dhir, who defected from the AAP to the BJP just before the elections, was the Speaker of Delhi Assembly.
AAP MLA from Dwarka constituency, Adarsh Shastri, may be given the Health portfolio whereas techie-turned-politician Saurabh Bhardwaj, who won from Greater Kailash, is likely to the next Transport Minister.
Former journalist Jarnail Singh and RK Puram MLA, Pramila Tokas, may also be included in the Kejriwal-led Cabinet.
Kejriwal's AAP decimated the BJP and the Congress by recorded a landslide victory, securing 67 of the 70 seats in the Delhi Assembly elections. The BJP managed to bag only 3 seats.
