AAP may keep out 3 former ministers from new cabinet

Image
Press Trust of India New Delhi
Last Updated : Feb 11 2015 | 10:05 PM IST
Aam Aadmi Party, set to form government after its Delhi assembly election win, may keep three of its former ministers out of its new cabinet and is likely to give a "more prominent" role to senior party leader Manish Sisodia, sources said today.
The party is expected to retain Satyendra Jain and Saurabh Bharadwaj but Rakhi Birla, Girish Soni and Somnath Bharti may not get ministerial berths, they said.
"Manish (Sisodia) will certainly have more enhanced and prominent role than last time. Saurabh (Bharadwaj) and Satyendra Jain could be retained while Rakhi (Birla), Girish Soni and Somnath (Bharti) may not find a place this time," said a senior AAP leader.
Sisodia was de facto number two in the earlier AAP cabinet handling important portfolios like education, PWD, Urban Development, local bodies and land and building.
Bharadwaj had handled Food and Supply, Transport, Environment, Election and GAD ministries while Jain was in charge of Health.
However, the party leaders have not met formally to dicuss the people to be inducted in the cabinet. The meeting is expected to take place tomorrow.
"Since yesterday, Arvind Kejriwal has not been keeping well. He left the victory celebrations early for his home in Kaushambi. After returning from his meeting with the Lt Governor yesterday, he had a sore throat and attended Kumar Vishwas's birthday party only for a brief time.
"Even today, he had fever but had prior appointments with Central ministers and the President. So there was no time to formally discuss the issue," the leader added.
Party sources added that this time, armed with a decisive mandate, Kejriwal has a lot of options. The party this time has people of varied background including engineers and lawyers.
The name of former Apple executive Adarsh Shastri, MLA from Dwarka, is doing the rounds for a ministerial berth. He could be tasked to execute the party's Wifi project.
Chandni Chowk MLA Alka Lamba could also find a place in the ministry.
*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Feb 11 2015 | 10:05 PM IST

Next Story