Another Delhi Cabinet rejig: Atishi gets law, Kailash Gahlot charge of WCD dept

The move came a day after Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena invoked relevant rules and recalled all files related to courts and justice delivery from the AAP-Delhi, government flagging "inordinate delay in their clearance".

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Public Works Department, Power, Education, Higher Education, Training & Technical Education, Public Relations Department, Revenue, Finance, Planning, Services, Vigilance, Water, Law, Justice and Legislative Affairs and all other portfolios not specifically allocated to any Minister (Express File Photo)

In another cabinet reshuffle, Kailash Gahlot has been dropped as Law and Justice minister with the portfolio being re-assigned to Atishi. Gahlot has now been given charge of the Women and Child Development (WCD) department, which was earlier with Atishi.

The move came a day after Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena invoked relevant rules and recalled all files related to courts and justice delivery from the AAP-Delhi, government flagging “inordinate delay in their clearance”.

Delhi government sources, however, termed the reshuffle a “routine” affair.

This is the 13th department on Atishi’s roster – the sole woman on the AAP-Delhi government’s six-member cabinet – which also includes significant ones such as revenue, services and vigilance among others.

In October, AAP minister Saurabh Bharadwaj was dropped from the water portfolio which was re-assigned to Atishi.

Tourism and Arts, Culture & Languages were re-assigned to him from Atishi. Two months earlier, he had been asked to relinquish charge of the vigilance and services departments.

Atishi holds a majority of government departments — Education, PWD, Finance, Services, Water among others. Gahlot, meanwhile, now has charge of WCD, Home and Transport in addition to Administrative Reforms and Information & Technology.

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Before he resigned following his arrest in the excise policy case, former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia held 18 portfolios. He and his former Cabinet colleague Satyendar Jain, who is also in jail in a graft case and had resigned in February, were replaced by Atishi and Bharadwaj.

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