New Delhi: AAP convener and CM-elect Arvind Kejriwal is likely to appoint Manish Sisodia as deputy chief minister when he announces his cabinet on Saturday, sources have told PTI.
Among those likely to be included in his cabinet besides Sisodia are: Satyendra Jain, Adarsh Shastri, Saurabh Bhardwaj, Jitender Tomar, Kapil Mishra, Sandeep Kumar and Asim Ahmed Khan.
Ram Nivas Goyal is likely to be appointed Speaker of the Delhi Assembly while Bandana Kumar could be his deputy.
Interestingly, Kejriwal has reportedly kept two controversial former ministers – Somnath Bharti and Rakhi Birla – out of his Cabinet this time.
Bharti had conducted a midnight raid in Khirki extension targeting some African nationals, alleging a sex racket operating out of a rented flat. The Delhi Police refused to cooperate with Bharti and his actions faced widepsread criticism from women rights groups. Birla, then minister for women and child welfare, had filed a case against a young boy for allegedly stoning her car. The police, however, said it was a cricket ball. Kejriwal then asked her to withdraw the case.
Meanwhile, preparations are afoot at Ramlila Maidan for Kejriwal’s swearing-in ceremony on 14 February.
The ground, which served as the battleground for the 46-year-old anti-graft crusader during the Anna Hazare-led India Against Corruption movement, is getting decked up to host Kejriwal for his second oath-taking ceremony.
The Delhi government, North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) and Public Works Department (PWD) are working to make the venue ready for the occasion.
“The levelling of the ground is already done, as we had made preparations for the recent Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rally. We are working on arrangement for sanitation like mobile toilets, which would be installed a few days before the function,” a senior NDMC official said.
Seating arrangement are being made by the Delhi government, which has marked space for “nearly 40,000 seats, which would include VIP enclosures”.
“We are also making arrangement for standing for about 20,000 people… Since, we are not sure how many supporters will turn up at the venue, we are a little concerned about the crowd management on the day,” a senior Delhi government official said.
Over a lakh people had attended the 2013 swearing-in ceremony on 29 December.
The historic venue is once again set to reverberate with the sounds of people hailing Kejriwal and his resurgent party, which in the 2013 polls had staged a stunning debut, getting 28 seats.
The bureaucrat-turned-politician and his winning candidates had chosen the same ground for getting administered the oath of office last time.
