New Delhi: Atishi took oath as the new Chief Minister of Delhi on Saturday at the Raj Bhavan, the official residence of Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena. She is the youngest leader to hold the top post in Delhi. Apart from Atishi, five other Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs were also sworn in as ministers. Gopal Rai, Saurabh Bharadwaj, Kailash Gahlot and Imran Hussain, who are part of outgoing Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s Council of Ministers, have been retained.
Atishi replaces Arvind Kejriwal, AAP national convenor, who resigned from the post after being granted bail by the Supreme Court of India in the alleged liquor policy scam case.
Senior leaders of the party including Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia were present for the swearing-in ceremony. Atishi's parents Vijay Singh and Tripta Wahi were also present. Atishi is the third woman CM of Delhi, after Sushma Swaraj of the BJP and Sheila Dixit of the Congress.
A first-time legislator, Atishi is a key face of the party and managed AAP's operations during Arvind Kejriwal's time in Tihar jail. The Kalkaji MLA's name was proposed by Kejriwal, who tendered his resignation as chief minister, for the top post. Atishi held 13 major portfolios in the Cabinet headed by Arvind Kejriwal, including finance, revenue, PWD and education.
A Look At Atishi's Cabinet
Atishi's cabinet, which has a crucial task to lead the party ahead of the assembly polls, has five ministers – Gopal Rai, Kailash Gahlot, Saurabh Bharadwaj, Imran Hussain and Mukesh Ahlawat. AAP MLA Mukesh Ahlawat is the new face in the Delhi Cabinet headed by Atishi.
Gopal Rai: The Babapur MLA held several key portfolios in Arvind Kejriwal’s cabinet including Environment, Forest and Wildlife, Development and General Administration Department. He also heads AAP’s Delhi unit.
Kailash Gahlot: Known for his work in the Transport Ministry, Gahlot won his first election in February 2015. He held several ministries in Arvind Kejriwal’s cabinet like Information & Technology, Transport, Revenue, Law, Justice and Legislative Affairs, Women and Child Development, and Administrative Reforms.
Saurabh Bharadwaj: Bharadwaj, Greater Kailash MLA, was inducted into the Kejriwal Cabinet alonh with Atishi after the AAP national convenor’s trusted lieutenants Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain resigned in February last year. He is serving as the Minister of Health, Urban Development, Tourism-Art Culture Languages, Industry, Irrigation & Flood Control.
Imran Hussain, often referred to as the Muslim face of Kejriwal's party, held the Ministry of Food and Civil Supplies and Election. He represents Ballimaran and had defeated the five-time sitting MLA in the 2020 Assembly Elections.
Mukesh Ahlawat: Ahlawat is a first-time MLA from Sultanpur Majra. He won the seat in 2020 by a margin of over 48,000 votes. He has been inducted to fill the vacancy created following the resignation of social welfare minister Raaj Kumar Anand.
Who Gets What?
As per the portfolio allocation in new cabinet, CM Atishi will head the 13 existing departments including Education, Finance, Power, Water. Saurabh Bharadwaj will take charge of eight departments including Health, Urban Development and Social Welfare. Gopal Rai will have three departments including Environment.
Kailash Gehlot to take charge of four departments including Transport, WCD. Imran Hussain will head the Food Supply and Election Department. Mukesh Ahlawat will become Delhi's SC/ST Minister, along with four more departments including Labour.