Premium

Willingly have opted out of cabinet, says Somnath Bharti

Rakhi Birla, Saurabh Bharadwaj, Girish Soni are others who would not be part of the new cabinet.

delhi elections, delhi polls, somnath bharti khirki raid, khirki midnight raid, prostitution racket khirki

AAP sources said Bharti will be kept away from cabinet till his name is cleared from the infamous “Khirki raid”

After being dropped out of the new Arvind Kejriwal-led cabinet, former AAP minister Somnath Bharti on Friday, a day before the swearing ceremony said he had willingly decided not to take any responsibility because he wants to focus on building his constituency as a model one.

“Let me put all speculations to rest. I have willingly opted not to take any responsility in the government and not because I possess any demerit.”

“I want to focus on building my constituency as a model one and utilise all my time and energy for the same,” the Malviya Nagar MLA tweeted.

I want to focus on building my constituency as a model one n utilize all my time n energy for the same.

— Adv. Somnath Bharti (@attorneybharti) February 13, 2015

Responding to Bharti’s tweet, Delhi’s Chief Ministerial designate Arvind Kejriwal said he was proud of Bharti.

@attorneybharti I am proud of u

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) February 13, 2015

Bharti, who was a former law minister, is one of four ministers to have faced the axe. He is also known to be extremely close to Kejriwal.

AAP sources said Bharti will be kept away from the cabinet till his name is cleared from the case relating to a midnight raid on the house of African women.

Rakhi Birla, Saurabh Bharadwaj, and Girish Soni are others who would not be part of the new cabinet, according to the sources.

First uploaded on: 13-02-2015 at 14:19 IST

Candidates chess standings: Gukesh's showdown with two-time world chess championship contender Ian Nepomniachtchi fizzled out in a draw. (FIDE/Michal Walusza)

Candidates chess results and standings after Round 10: Gukesh on top, Praggnanandhaa 2nd

SportsUpdated: April 16, 2024 06:02 IST

Indian chess player Gukesh maintains his lead in the open section of the Candidates Chess 2024 after 10 rounds, drawing with Ian Nepomniachtchi. The Russian is also in the lead while Pragg is second, along with two Americans. In the women's section, Humpy held leader Tan Zhongyi to a draw while two games are still ongoing.

View all shorts

Live Blog