Delhi
Atishi, who is set to succeed Arvind Kejriwal, to retain four Delhi ministers
New Delhi/IBNS: Four current Delhi ministers will continue to retain their posts in the government after the change of guard that is scheduled to take place this week.
Top Aam Aadmi Party leader Atishi will take oath as the Chief Minister on September 21, succeeding her party boss Arvind Kejriwal.
The four ministers, who will retain their posts, are Saurabh Bharadwaj, Kailash Gahlot, Gopal Rai and Imran Hussain, NDTV reported.
Additionally, Dalit leader and an MLA from Sultan Pur Majra, Mukesh Ahlawat, will be incorporated.
Two days after announcing her decision to quit, Kejriwal on Tuesday formally stepped down handing over his resignation letter to Governor Vinay Saxena.
Atishi, who presently holds the portfolios of Education, Women and Child Welfare, Culture, Tourism and Public Works Development, will become the third woman Chief Minister of Delhi after Sushma Swaraj and Sheila Dikshit.
Kejriwal announced the stepping down from the Chief Minister's post dramatically after walking out of jail securing a bail in the excise policy case.
As a Chief Minister, Kerjiwal was barred by the Supreme Court from signing any document and entering into his office.
He demanded the polls in Delhi, which are scheduled to be held in February, should be hosted in November along with elections in Maharashtra.
"I am here to ask people whether they consider Kejriwal to be guilty or innocent?" he said.
Slamming the Bharatiya Janata Party, he said the political outfit put him behind bars since it was scared of his performance. "The only thing I have is honesty," he said.
The Supreme Court last week granted bail to Kejriwal, who was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation in connection with the excise policy case.
Kejriwal was arrested by the CBI in June when he was already in Tihar Jail in connection with the same case.
The AAP supremo has been in jail since March 21 when he was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate over money laundering allegations while framing the Delhi liquor policy for 2021-22, which was later scrapped after the Lieutenant Governor raised red flags.
He was arrested by the CBI on June 26.
The ED has alleged the money Kejriwal got from the liquor sellers was used to fund the party's campaign in Goa since he is the convenor of the AAP.
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