Only five of Delhi’s seven Ministers are now in a position to carry administrative duties, as Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Sunday became the second Minister to be arrested after Satyendar Jain last year.
Article 239AA of the Constitution states that the Capital can have a maximum of seven Ministers.
Of the five Ministers in the Delhi Cabinet, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal currently does not hold any portfolio.
Sources in the Aam Aadmi Party said it will not drop Mr. Sisodia as a Minister. They said the only feasible option, if he does not get bail, is for other Ministers to take up more departments. The Deputy CM is in charge of over 18 Delhi departments.
“Sisodia will continue as a Minister, there is no question of removing him from the Cabinet,” a party leader said, hinting that other ministers will step up.
“Removing Mr. Sisodia or Mr. Jain from the Cabinet would send a wrong message to the public. I don’t think any of them will be dropped,” the leader, requesting anonymity, added.
However, the sources said it would not be easy to fill Mr. Sisodia absence.
Asked who will be in charge of Mr. Sisodia’s portfolio, another AAP leader said, “If Mr. Sisodia is not out soon, then Kailash Gahlot will likely get many departments that he was holding.” He added that Mr. Gahlot was part of the budget-related meetings as he is the Revenue Minister.
On Sunday evening, AAP chief spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj told reporters that “the party has a plan”, but did not elaborate.
Asked how the party plans to run the government now, AAP leader Jasmine Shah told The Hindu, “The governance of the city would not be affected, we want to assure the people that. The party has been anticipating the arrest and has a plan on how to deal with it. That is why the last time he was called he asked for more time to appear before the CBI.”
After Mr. Jain was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with an alleged money laundering case last year, Mr. Sisodia was given the former’s departments. However, Mr. Jain was not dropped from the Cabinet and continues to be a Minister without any portfolio.
