A day after president Droupadi Murmu accepted former Social Welfare Minister Rajendra Pal Gautam’s resignation, the Delhi government has announced Patel Nagar MLA Raj Kumar Anand as its newest minister. Towards this end, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has written to L-G Vinai Kumar Saxena. “I have written a letter to the L-G to make Patel Nagar MLA Raj Kumar Anand the new minister,” Kejriwal told the reporters during a press conference. The portfolio will be allotted after the L-G’s approval of the CM's recommendations. However, party members said he was chosen and will be given the portfolio of the social welfare ministry. “I am happy and grateful to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for considering me for this post and I will live up to his expectations and work for the betterment of people and the development of the city,” Anand told The Indian Express. Anand and his wife Veena joined AAP after its formation in 2011-2012, before which he was associated with the anti-corruption movement. In the 2013 election, Veena was fielded from the Patel Nagar seat and won. In 2015, Anand and Veena did not get a seat from the constituency. In 2020, Anand fought from the constituency and won the Assembly elections. He has a postgraduate degree in Political Science. Before joining the party, he used to run Anand Path, a foundation for the betterment of underprivileged children, under which he started ‘Ambedkar Pathshala’. Gautam resigned from the cabinet on October 9 after his involvement in a “conversion” event was highlighted by BJP leaders.
