Delhi Cabinet finalized; Kejriwal to not hold any portfolios
After Arvind Kejriwal took charge as the Delhi Chief Minister for the third time on Monday, the portfolio allocation for the Cabinet was finalized. Earlier on Sunday, Kejriwal took oath as the Delhi CM, along with his six Cabinet Ministers. Last week, the Aam Aadmi Party had swept the Delhi polls winning 62 out of 70 Assembly seats. Here are more details.
Kejriwal himself will hold no portfolios. Notably, the CM had previously held the Delhi Jal Board, which will now be under Satyendra Kumar Jain. Jain will also hold the Health, Industries, Public Works Department, Power, Home, and Urban Development portfolios. Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia will look after the Education, Finance, Planning, Land and Building, Vigilance, Tourism, Services, Art, Culture and Languages Departments.
The Departments of Environment, Employment, Development, Labour, General Administration Department, Irrigation and Flood Control will be under Gopal Rai. Imran Hussain: Food and Supply, and Election Departments. Rajendra Pal Gautam: Women and Child Development, Gurudwara Elections, Water, SC and ST, Social Welfare and Cooperative Departments. Kailash Gahlot: Administrative Reforms, Information and Technology, Law, Justice and Legislative Affairs, Transport, Revenue, Forest and Wildlife Departments.
Apart from Jain looking after the DJB, the only other major portfolio changes include the Environment Department, which was previously held by Kailash Gehlot, and the Women and Child Development Department, which was held by Manish Sisodia earlier.
Kejriwal was sworn-in as the Delhi CM at a ceremony held in Ramlila Maidan on Sunday. The six Cabinet Ministers—Manish Sisodia, Satyendar Jain, Imran Hussain, Gopal Rai, Rajendra Gautam, and Kailash Gehlot—also took oaths at the ceremony. The six had served Kejriwal's government in the previous term as well. Notably, no woman was appointed Cabinet Minister, despite eight women candidates winning.
In the recent Delhi elections, Kejriwal's AAP won 62 out of 70 Assembly seats while the Bharatiya Janata Party won eight. The BJP lost the elections, despite its confidence. However, the polls witnessed an increased share for the party. In 2015, the BJP took just three seats, while the AAP bagged 67. Both times, the Congress party drew a blank.
