Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena has recommended the names of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs – Saurabh Bharadwaj and Atishi – to President Droupadi Murmu for their elevation as cabinet ministers in the Delhi government.

“Since at any given time, there can be only 6 Ministers in Delhi, their appointment will become effective only once the resignation of Manish Sisodia and Satyender Jain sent to the President, just a day before on 28.02.2023, is accepted,” an official statement from the LG office said.

On Wednesday, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had sent the names of Bhardwaj and Atishi to the lieutenant governor for their elevation as cabinet ministers. He had announced that the two will be the new cabinet ministers in the AAP Government replacing Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain who resigned on February 28.

Talking to reporters on Wednesday evening after a meeting with AAP MLAs and councillors, Kejriwal informed them that the new ministers will soon join the Delhi Cabinet.

Earlier on Wednesday, the lieutenant governor had approved Kejriwal’s proposal to give the responsibility of additional departments to cabinet ministers, Kailash Gahlot and Raaj Kumar Anand, till new ministers are inducted into the cabinet.

Of the 18 departments headed by Sisodia, responsibilities of eight, including Finance and PWD, have been given to Gahlot, while the remaining ten that include Education and Health have been assigned to Anand.

According to a gazette notification, with the new responsibilities handed over to Gehlot and Anand, both ministers will now have 14 departments each.

Gahlot was already handling six departments that included Law, Justice and Legislative Affairs, Transportation, Administrative Reforms, Information Technology, Revenue, and Women and Child Development.

Raaj Kumar Anand was a minister with four departments under him, namely Gurudwara Elections, SC & ST, Social Welfare, and Cooperative.

Sisodia was arrested by the CBI in connection with the excise policy case on Sunday. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court refused to entertain Sisodia’s plea challenging his arrest in the excise policy case prompting his resignation from all the posts including that of the deputy chief minister.

Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court on Monday had sent him to CBI custody for five days.

AAP leader Jain is currently lodged in judicial custody in connection with a money laundering case registered against him by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).