President Pranab Mukherjee on Friday appointed AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal as Delhi Chief Minister and six other party leaders as Cabinet ministers, four of whom are first time legislators, and signed an order to revoke Central rule from tomorrow.
A Home Ministry statement said President appointed Kejriwal as the Chief Minister of Delhi with effect from the date he is sworn in.
Kejriwal is set to take oath as chief minister along with his Cabinet on Saturday at the historic Ramlila Maidan, the protest venue of the anti-graft campaigners over three years ago.
“The President on the advise of the Chief Minister has also appointed Manish Sisodia, Asim Ahmed Khan, Sandeep Kumar, Satyendar Jain, Gopal Rai and Jitender Singh Tomar as Ministers of Delhi,” the statement said.
Kejriwal is expected to keep the key portfolios of home, power and finance with himself while giving education, PWD and urban development to his confidante Sisodia, AAP sources said.
The departments to be handled by Kejriwal and Sisodia, who will be the Deputy Chief Minister, also needs direct dealing with the Centre.
Jain, who had handled the Health and Industry in the earlier AAP rule, is expected to retain the same portfolios, sources said.
Rai, a senior party leader and Political Affairs Committee (PAC) member, is tipped be to the next Transport and Labour Minister.
Kumar, a lawyer by profession, is likely to handle Women and Child Welfare department and SC and ST Welfare while Tomar, also a lawyer, is expected to handle the Law department.
Khan 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.
“I, Pranab Mukherjee, President of India hereby revoke the Order issued by me on the 16th day of February, 2014 under Article 239AB of the Constitution in relation to the National Capital Territory of Delhi, with effect from the 14th day of February, 2015,” according to a gazette notification.
The decision came following a recommendation of the Union Cabinet earlier today after the Aam Aadmi Party’s landslide victory in Delhi polls.
The Cabinet decision came after the Election Commission notified the list of newly-elected members of the 70-member Delhi Assembly.
President’s Rule was imposed in Delhi on February 17 last year, after Kejriwal resigned as chief minister and President Mukherjee accepted his resignation.
In fresh elections, AAP staged a historic victory sweeping 67 of the 70 seats and leaving BJP which emerged as the single-largest party last time with only 3 seats.
This will be Kejriwal’s second term as Delhi chief minister, after he resigned last February after running a 49-day government in the national capital with the support of Congress.