In a major cabinet shakeup President Droupadi Murmu appointed Aam Aadmi Party MLAs Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj as ministers of the Delhi government's cabinet on Tuesday. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had forwarded the names of the two AAP leaders to the Lieutenant Governor for their appointment to the cabinet. The move took place after the President accepted the resignations of arrested AAP ministers Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain.
Atishi represents the Kalkaji constituency and has been a key member of Manish Sisodia's education team. She had also contested the 2019 Lok Sabha polls from the East Delhi constituency and lost to BJP's Gautam Gambhir.Saurabh Bhardwaj, the party's national spokesperson, had served the Delhi Jal Board as its vice chairman. The legislator from Greater Kailash was also a minister during the first stint of the AAP government.Sisodia had resigned from his all 18 posts following his arrest in the alleged excise policy scam.After former Delhi Minister Satyendar Jain's arrest last year, seven portfolios handled by him were shifted to Sisodia, who was looking after 18 departments when he was arrested. He is now lodged in Tihar's jail after Rouse Avenue Court on Monday sent him to judicial custody till March 20.