In a major Cabinet reshuffle, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has given the responsibility of three major Finance, Revenue and Planning departments to Delhi Minister Atishi.
Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena has approved Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s decision and the appointment file has finally reached the Delhi government.
With the latest appointment, Atishi now commands a total of 10 departments, making her the second-in-command, only next to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
While Health Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj and Social Welfare Minister Rajkumar Anand hold seven portfolios, Kailash Gehlot holds five including Transport, Environment Minister Gopal Rai holds three and Food and Supplies Minister Imran Hussain holds two.
Atishi was serving as the Minister of Education, Public Works Department, Culture and Tourism prior to this latest appointment. She had played a key role as an Advisor to former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in the field of education.
Atishi along with her colleague Saurabh Bharadwaj were sworn in as Ministers in the Kejriwal cabinet following the resignations of Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain.
While Sisodia has been jailed in connection with the probe on the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy, Satyendar Jain has been lodged in Tihar Jail since last year on charges of money laundering.
Earlier, there was a tiff between the Delhi Chief Minister and the Lieutenant Governor as sources suggested that the file appointing Atishi to the three key departments did not reach the Chief Minister’s office.
However, sources in the Lieutenant Governor’s (LG) office said that the file had been sent back to the Chief Minister following the LG’s approval. (ANI)
