AAP leaders who want to remain anonymous said that CM Kejriwal, who is now incarcerated, will probably be consulted before the plan to induct Sisodia is finalized.
*New Delhi, 10th August 2024*
AAP members have suggested that former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, who was granted bail by the Supreme Court on Friday in connection with corruption and money laundering charges related to the now-canceled Delhi excise policy, is likely to be soon reappointed to the Arvind Kejriwal cabinet. Sisodia’s appointment to the council of ministers will be “easy,” according to a Delhi government official, and won’t result in a significant cabinet reorganization because one position is already open in the wake of former AAP minister Raaj Kumar Anand’s departure in April of this year. The chief minister is one of a maximum of seven ministers in Delhi. The Delhi Cabinet’s membership cannot exceed 10% of the total number of members of the legislative assembly, per Article 239AA of the Constitution. There are 70 people in the Delhi Assembly.
AAP leaders, who wished to remain anonymous, claim that the plan to induct Sisodia—who was freed from prison after more than 17 months—will probably be decided upon after consulting with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Kejriwal is currently detained in connection with several cases that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed as part of their investigations into purported anomalies in the liquor policy. They explained that for this reason, a decision about the meeting’s date and format has not yet been made.Sisodia was detained by the CBI on February 26, 2023, while serving as an MLA for East Delhi’s Patparganj constituency. He left the cabinet two days later, having held 18 important portfolios including finance, excise, PWD, education, and health. In addition to Sisodia, Satyendar Jain, a previous minister, also resigned. As a result, Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj were appointed to the cabinet and given most of the important positions.
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An AAP leader indicated that Manish Sisodia is expected to be inducted into the Arvind Kejriwal government, although the timing and specifics of his return are still undecided. AAP leader Sanjay Singh noted, “We will finalize Sisodia’s induction once he is released from jail.” Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj confirmed that Sisodia will be joining the Cabinet.
Sisodia’s reappointment could provide a boost to the AAP government as it heads into the assembly elections in Delhi and Haryana. Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva raised concerns, questioning, “How can the chief minister expand the cabinet while in jail?” He also highlighted the oddity of a minister having to report to his local police SHO twice a week if Sisodia were reinstated.
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