Manish Sisodia to be Deputy Chief Minister in 7-Member AAP Cabinet

The Aam Aadmi Party has sent to Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung a list of six people who will take oath with Arvind Kejriwal at the Ramlila ground tomorrow. The party says many of those it has invited for the ceremony have RSVPed to say they cannot attend.

Senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia smiled as he confirmed this morning that he will be deputy chief minister in Arvind Kejriwal's Delhi cabinet. He heads the list sent to the Lieutenant Governor; two controversial AAP leaders who were ministers in its 49-day tenure last year, are conspicuous by their absence - Somnath Bharti and Rakhi Bidlan.

Also taking oath tomorrow with Mr Kejriwal and Mr Sisodia are AAP legislators Satyendra Jain, Gopal Rai, Jitendra Tomar, Sandeep Kumar and Asim Ahmed Khan. Only Mr Jain was a minister last time; the rest are first time MLAs.

"The people we met to extend an invitation for the oath ceremony said they had prior appointments," Mr Sisodia told NDTV. He said Gandhian activist Anna Hazare has said "he is busy, but he has given us his blessings."

Mr Sisodia had accompanied Chief Minister-designate Arvind Kejriwal to invite Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the oath ceremony yesterday. They had also met and invited union ministers Rajnath Singh and Venkaiah Naidu.

"None of them can attend, but others may, let's see," said Mr Sisodia, emphasising that it is important that the "aam aadmi (common man)" attends the Aam aadmi Party swearing in.

"We have also sent invitations to Ajay Maken and Kiran Bedi," Mr Sisodia said.

Ajay Maken of the Congress and the BJP's Kiran Bedi were pitched by their parties in direct contest against Arvind Kejriwal and have borne the brunt of crushing defeat. AAP has won 67 of Delhi's 70 seats, leaving a measly three for the BJP and none for the Congress.