Atishi, 5 Cabinet ministers take charge
Senior AAP leader Atishi on Saturday took oath as the new Chief Minister of Delhi, after Arvind Kejriwal resigned from the post, days after walking out of Tihar jail in connection with the Delhi liquor policy case.
Along with Atishi, Cabinet ministers Saurabh Bharadwaj, Gopal Rai, Kailash Gahlot, Imran Hussain and Mukesh Ahlawat – the new face in the Cabinet, took oath.
Before taking oath, Atishi and the leaders to be sworn in as ministers met Arvind Kejriwal at his residence.
Five ministers were sworn in along with CM Atishi, however, the Delhi Cabinet can have seven ministers, AAP has left one seat vacant.
Portfolios of ministers
- Saurabh Bharadwaj will hold eight departments — Health, Urban Development, Irrigation and Flood Control, Industries, Art, Culture and Language, Tourism, Social Welfare and Cooperative.
- Gopal Rai will hold three portfolios – Development, General Administration Department and Environment, Forest and Wildlife.
- Minister Kailash Gahlot will hold five departments – Transport, Administrative Reforms, Information and Technology, Home, Women and Child Devolopment.
- Imran Hussain will have two deptartments – Food and Supply and Election
- Mukesh Ahlawat will have Gurudwara Election, SC & ST, Land and Building, Labour and Employment
“Although I have taken oath as the CM, this is a very emotional moment for us because Arvind Kejriwal is no longer the Chief Minister of Delhi — he is the person who transformed Delhi, the one who changed the future of the students studying in government schools, he is the person who helped women be more independent by providing them free bus tickets, the one who transformed government healthcare,” Atishi said in her first address as Chief Minister.
Atishi has become the youngest CM of Delhi, the 17th woman Chief Minister in India and the third woman CM of Delhi after Sushma Swaraj of the BJP and Sheila Dikshit of the Congress. The National Capital is bound for Assembly elections in February, 2025.
She alleged that the BJP-led Central government used conspiracies to remove Kejriwal from the CM’s position and kept him in jail for six months.
She urged the people of Delhi to make Arvind Kejriwal the CM once again in the upcoming elections.
“My aim is to clear pending issues of the people which have been stuck for the last two years since BJP began plotting against us and sent our leaders to jail. I assure the people of Delhi under the guidance of Arvind Kejriwal all development works will be completed.” she concluded.
The oath ceremony was a low-key event as the mood in the AAP was not upbeat due to Kejriwal’s resignation.
Atishi who held 14 portfolios in the previous Cabinet will hold 13 this time.
“He was granted bail by the Supreme Court, however, he still resigned from the post and announced that he would be going to the ‘people’s court. He has said that he would only sit on the CM’s chair only when the public gives him the ‘certificate of honesty’,” she added.
