AAP MLA Mukesh Ahlawat new face in Delhi Cabinet
The new Delhi Cabinet, led by Chief Minister-designate Atishi, will see a fresh face with the inclusion of AAP MLA Mukesh Kumar Ahlawat, while four ministers have been retained, the party announced on Thursday.
After Arvind Kejriwal announced his resignation from the CM’s post, he proposed Atishi’s name as the leader of the AAP legislative party. Atishi staked her claim to form the government on the same day Kejriwal tendered his resignation to the Lieutenant-Governor (L-G).
The AAP statement said Gopal Rai, Kailash Gahlot, Saurabh Bharadwaj and Imran Hussain have been retained in the Cabinet. Meanwhile, Ahlawat, a first-time MLA from Sultanpur Majra (a reserved seat) in North West Delhi, will fill the position left vacant by former AAP MLA Raaj Kumar Anand, who resigned from his post as Social Welfare Minister and quit the party in April.
Anand later contested the Lok Sabha elections from the New Delhi seat on a BSP ticket, running against his former colleague Somnath Bharti and BJP’s Bansuri Swaraj. He finished third in the elections. The Delhi Legislative Assembly allows a maximum of seven Cabinet ministers, including the CM.
Ahlawat’s inclusion is expected to bring electoral benefits to AAP, as he is one of the Dalit faces of the party. With Assembly elections scheduled in the next six months, the AAP is looking to secure its share of Dalit voters. In the 2020 elections, the AAP had 65 per cent of the Dalit vote share, although this was a 14 per cent drop from the previous election.
The party is banking on the Dalit vote, which has supported the broom party. AAP’s Dalit support took a hit during Kejriwal’s incarceration, as two prominent Dalit leaders of the party —Anand and Rajendra Pal Gautam — quit, citing lack of community representation. Anand joined the BJP after losing his election on a BSP ticket, while Gautam joined the Congress.
The seat won by Ahlawat was previously held by Sandeep Kumar, who was sacked from the Cabinet and the party in 2016 after a video surfaced showing him in a compromising position with a woman. He later faced rape allegations from the woman, but he was recently cleared of the charges.
As AAP gears up for the Assembly elections, the party is leaving no stone unturned, cautiously taking steps to retain power in the Capital. The AAP has been in power in Delhi since 2013, beginning with a 49-day government, followed by landslide victories in the 2015 and 2020 elections.
The AAP won 28 out of 70 seats in the 2013 elections, while the BJP secured 32 seats, including its alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), which had one seat. However, the BJP declined to form the government, after which the then L-G, Najeeb Jung, invited AAP to stake its claim.
Facing difficulties in passing the Jan Lokpal Bill, Kejriwal resigned, and President’s rule was imposed. In 2015, the AAP won 67 seats, leaving BJP with just three. In 2020, the AAP secured 62 seats, while the BJP won eight.
The oath-taking ceremony will be held on September 21. Atishi will take oath with her Cabinet ministers.
The new government will prove the majority in the Delhi Assembly and its session has been called by the ruling AAP dispensation on September 26-27.
With Mukesh’s inclusion, party strengthens Dalit representation
New Delhi: A businessman, a Dalit face of AAP and a one-time MLA, 48-year-old Mukesh Kumar Ahlawat will become part of the newly formed government led by Atishi. Ahlawat became an MLA from Sultanpur Majra, a reserved seat, on the AAP ticket in 2020, defeating BJP’s Ram Chander Chawriya by around 50,000 votes. He had previously contested elections from the BSP in 2008 and 2013, however lost both the elections.
He has served as Chairman of the District Development Committee since 2021. Ahlawat replaced Kumar who was sacked from the Cabinet and the party in 2016 following allegations of him being shown in a compromising position woman in a video. Ahlawat became a key member of the party working to improve education, healthcare and urban infrastructure in his constituency, said the AAP. Ahlawat advocated for the regularisation of contract workers in the sanitation sector, introduced policies to ensure women-only teaching staff in schools and actively supported initiatives for full statehood for Delhi, it added.
He is also AAP’s co-incharge for Rajasthan and has declared his movable assets worth Rs 60 lakh and immovable assets worth Rs. 5.6 crore.
He completed his schooling from Ravindra Public School in Pitampura. The AAP is looking to bank on the Dalit vote in the upcoming elections scheduled for February. Out of the 70 assembly seats, 12 are reserved for SC/ST candidates. Additionally, the percentage of SC/ST population is significant in 19 Assembly constituencies.
Saurabh Bharadwaj
He held key portfolios in the Cabinet including Health, Flood and Irrigation and Urban Development. The MLA from Greater Kailash alongside Atishi were the face of the Delhi Government during Arvind Kejriwal’s incarceration.
Kailash Gahlot
Gahlot has served as Transport Minister, as well as in the Planning Department and other roles. He has been part of the Delhi Cabinet since 2020 and won the Najafgarh seat twice, in 2015 and 2020.
Imran Hussain
The MLA from Ballimaran has been close to Arvind Kejriwal and also a member of Political Affairs Committee of the party. He held the Food and Supply Department in the previous Cabinet. He also won 2015 and 2020 elections from AAP.
Gopal Rai
Rai is a party veteran, having been one of its founding members and rising through the ranks to become an MLA, minister and head of the party in Delhi. He oversees Environment and Development and General Administration Departments.
