NEW DELHI: Out of jail after 17 months, Manish Sisodia will not be inducted into the cabinet in the absence of Arvind Kejriwal, since the former deputy CM had quit his ministerial posts.
“Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is in jail. To reinduct Sisodia into the cabinet, Kejriwal will need to send a proposal to get the Lieutenant Governor’s nod. So, Sisodia can only become minister again once Kejriwal comes out of jail,” said sources.
When asked whether Sisodia can function as an MLA, senior AAP leaders said that the former deputy CM got regular bail, hence he can carry out all functions. Some leaders, however, said that Sisodia may spend more time with his ailing wife.
One ministerial berth is vacant in the Kejriwal government after the resignation of Raaj Kumar Anand as social welfare minister.
Sisodia was arrested by the CBI on March 21 and then by the ED a couple of weeks later in the now-scrapped excise policy case. After his arrest, he resigned from the cabinet.