Guwahati: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj were sworn in as ministers in the Delhi government on Thursday.
The swearing-in ceremony took place in Delhi’s Raj Niwas.
The oath of office was administered by Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena.
“In terms of the notification issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, Atishi Marlena and Saurabh Bharadwaj have been appointed as Ministers in the National Capital Territory of Delhi,” read the official statement from the General Administration Department.
Kejriwal submitted the names of Atishi and Saurabh to the Lieutenant Governor for their appointment to the Cabinet. The change occurred after President Droupadi Murmu accepted the resignations of Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain, both AAP ministers, on Tuesday.
Atishi represents the Kalkaji constituency and has played a significant role in Sisodia’s education team. She ran for office in the 2019 Lok House elections from the East Delhi district but was defeated by Gautam Gambhir of the BJP.
Bhardwaj, who formerly held the position of deputy chairman of the Delhi Jal Board, is currently the party’s national spokesperson. He served as a minister as well during the initial AAP administration.
Five ministers make up the current Delhi cabinet, including Arvind Kejriwal, the city’s chief executive who has no specific responsibility.
Following his arrest in the purported excise policy fraud, Sisodia had resigned from all 18 of his positions.
Seven of the portfolios managed by former Delhi Minister Satyendar Jain were transferred to Sisodia after his arrest last year; Jain was overseeing 18 departments at the time of his arrest.
He was placed in judicial detention until March 20 by Rouse Avenue Court on Monday, and is currently being held in Tihar’s jail.
In the midst of the deadly Delta Covid-19 pandemic in 2021, the excise policy was approved by the Delhi Cabinet, which is headed by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
According to the Delhi government, the policy was developed to guarantee maximum revenue generation, end the sale of fake or untaxed alcohol in Delhi, as well as to enhance user experience.
The CBI had filed a case in relation to alleged corruption in the excise policy for 2021–2022. Sisodia was one of 15 people who were booked as part of a CBI-filed Case.