Kejriwal to keep home, power and finance; Sisodia to get urban development, education
New Delhi: A day before Aam Aadmi Party's Arvind Kejriwal takes oath at the Ramlila Maidan as the Chief Minister of Delhi, the AAP has declared the list of cabinet ministers for the Delhi Assembly.Apart from Arvind Kejriwal, a total of six ministers will be sworn in as ministers at the historic Ramlila Ground on February 14. The Delhi chief minister is expected to keep important portfolios of Home, Finance and Power.
Kejriwal's confidante, Manish Sisodia is likely to be sworn in as the deputy chief minister and will hold key portfolios of Projects and Works Department (PWD), Urban Development and Education.
Gopal Rai has been handed over Transport and Labour Ministry while Satendra Jain has been given Health Ministry.
Jitendra Singh Tomar will take charge of the law ministry and Sandeep Kumar has been given Women and Child Development Ministry. Asim Ahmad will take care of the food ministry.
In a surprise move, Somnath Bharti has been dropped from the list. Bharti, who was a former law minister, is one of four ministers to have faced the axe. He is also known to be extremely close to Kejriwal.
Sources said Bharti will be kept away from the cabinet till his name is cleared from the case relating to a midnight raid on the house of African women.
"Let me put all speculations to rest. I have willingly opted not to take any responsility in the government and not because I possess any demerit. I want to focus on building my constituency as a model one and utilise all my time and energy for the same," the Malviya Nagar MLA tweeted.
Responding to Bharti's tweet, Delhi's chief ministerial designate Arvind Kejriwal said he was proud of Bharti.
"@attorneybharti I am proud of u," Kejriwal tweeted. Bharti, who was a former law minister, is one of four ministers to have faced the axe. He is also known to be extremely close to Kejriwal.
AAP sources said Bharti will be kept away from the cabinet till his name is cleared from the case relating to a midnight raid on the house of African women.
Rakhi Birla, Saurabh Bharadwaj, and Girish Soni are others who would not be part of the new cabinet, according to the sources.
Kejriwal is set to take oath as chief minister along with his cabinet on February 14 at the historic Ramlila Maidan, the protest venue of the anti-graft campaigners over three years ago.
This will be his second term as Delhi chief minister, after he resigned last February after running a 49-day government in the national capital with the support of Congress.
Meanwhile, the sprawling Ramlila Maidan in the heart of the national capital is almost ready for Saturday`s swearing-in ceremony of Delhi Chief Minister-designate Arvind Kejriwal.
A Delhi government official said all the arrangements were in place at the venue, which is likely to be thronged by thousands.
"There will be adequate security. Several CCTV cameras have been installed at Ramlila Maidan," the official has said.
Besides, 16 LED TV screens have been installed so that people can watch the grand ceremony.
