Delhi (India), March 9, 2023: On March 9, 2023, the swearing-in ceremony for the two newly appointed ministers of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Delhi took place in the presence of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and the Leader of the Opposition in the Delhi Assembly, Ramvir Singh Bidhur.
The Delhi Lt Governor, V K Saxena, administered the oath to Saurabh Bharadwaj and Atishi, who were elevated to Cabinet Ministers following a recommendation from Kejriwal. The ceremony was conducted at Raj Niwas in New Delhi.
Atishi, who has been an MLA of the AAP since 2020, has been appointed as the minister for education, PWD, power, and tourism departments. Bharadwaj, who has been an MLA of the AAP since 2013 and is currently the vice-chairman of the Delhi Jal Board, has been given the responsibility of handling health, urban development, water, and industries.
This Cabinet expansion comes in the wake of the resignations of Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and minister Satyendar Jain, who are currently in Tihar jail in alleged corruption and money laundering cases, respectively.
Their resignations were accepted by President Droupadi Murmu, and LG Saxena recommended the names of Atishi and Bharadwaj to the President for appointment as Cabinet ministers.
Party sources have confirmed that Atishi and Bharadwaj will be attending the Delhi Assembly’s budget session, which is set to begin on March 17, as ministers after their swearing-in ceremony on March 9.
Bharadwaj was a minister during the brief first term of the Kejriwal government in 2013 and has been associated with the AAP since its inception. Atishi, on the other hand, was an advisor to Sisodia in his education portfolio before becoming an MLA of the AAP.
