Chief Minister-designate Arvind Kejriwal on Friday gave his nod for the Cabinet portfolios, which were not revealed on Thursday with the list of Cabinet members. Sources have revealed that Kejriwal will keep key portfolios of Power and Finance while giving same portfolios to Manish Sisodia and Satyendra Jain that they held during AAP’s 49-day rule. Sandeep Kumar is most likely to get Women and Child Development, Asim Ahmed Khan Food and Civil Supplies, Gopal Rai will handle Transport and labour and Jitender Tomar will be the law Minister.
“Once Kejriwal takes his oath as Chief Minister, he will be in-charge of Home, Power and Finance in the Delhi Government. His close confidant Sisodia will retain Education, PWD and Urban Development,” informed sources. According to sources in the party, the reason Kejriwal and Sisodia are handling key portfolios is because these areas demand direct connect with the Centre. “Other Ministries are more or less within State but these are not. Thus, it is better that the CM and Deputy CM handle these matters,” informed sources.
In the previous AAP Cabinet last year, Satyendra Jain was handling Health and Industry and will be most likely taking care of the same this time as well. In his earlier stint as Health Minister, he was credited with ensuring free medicines in Government-run hospitals. Apart from Sisodia, he is the only one who has been retained from the previous Government.
All the other members of the Cabinet are fresh faces. Senior party leader and Political Affairs Committee (PAC) member Gopal Rai is speculated to be getting the Transport and labour Ministry. Sandeep Kumar, a lawyer by profession, is likely to handle Women and Child Welfare and SC and ST Welfare while Jitender Tomar, another lawyer, will handle law.
Asim Ahmed Khan, who is also the only face from minorities in the Cabinet, is likely to be given the charge of Food and Civil Supplies and Minority Affairs Ministries. Rai, Kumar, Tomar and Khan are first-time legislators. Sources also pointed out that with the kind of mandate Kejriwal has got, he will have the scope to remove the Ministers if they underperform and give fresh faces a chance in a year.