LG proposes Sept 21 swearing-in of Atishi

New Delhi: Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena has in a communication to President Droupadi Murmu proposed September 21 as the date for the swearing-in of Chief Minister-designate Atishi, sources said on Wednesday.

They said outgoing Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's resignation letter has also been moved to Murmu. However, the sources said that the AAP legislature party has not proposed any date for the oath-taking ceremony of the chief minister-designate. Kejriwal tendered his resignation to the LG on Tuesday and Atishi staked claim to form a new government in the national capital.

All the sitting ministers will be retained in the new Delhi Cabinet led by Atishi while two new members may join the government, AAP sources said on Wednesday, ruling out any "experiment" as elections are just months away.

The sources said while incumbent Gopal Rai, Kailash Gehlot, Saurabh Bharadwaj and Imran Hussain will be retained, Karol Bagh MLA Vishesh Ravi or Kondli MLA Kuldeep Kumar could be among the new faces.

"Since the Assembly polls are approaching, not much experiment is expected in the selection of members of council of ministers and old faces will most certainly be retained while two new ministers could join in," said a party leader.

Vishesh Ravi or Kuldeep Kumar could be inducted to fill the vacancy created by resignation of then Social Welfare minister Raaj Kumar Anand, AAP sources claimed. Anand resigned from the Kejriwal government and quit Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in April this year. Names of party MLAs Jarnail Singh, Durgesh Pathak, Somnath Bharti and Sanjeev Jha were doing the rounds in the party circles as the probables to fill the vacancy created due to the elevation of Atishi on the chief minister's post.

In the Kejriwal government, Atishi had 13 departments including education, finance,

revenue, PWD and power among others.

If she decides to keep these, it will be after long that the Delhi chief minister will have multiple portfolios. Outgoing chief minister Kejriwal did not have any portfolio.