Who is Mukesh Ahlawat? The new face in Atishi-led Delhi cabinet

New Delhi: Mukesh Ahlawat, a first-time MLA from the Sultanpur Majra constituency, is set to make his debut in the Delhi cabinet, led by Chief Minister-designate Atishi.

The 48-year-old Dalit leader has been selected to represent the reserved constituency.

He has been inducted to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of Social Welfare Minister Raaj Kumar Anand.

Anand resigned from the Kejriwal government and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in April, subsequently joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Ahalawat is currently the co-incharge of the party’s Rajasthan unit.

In the 2020 Delhi Assembly elections, he led AAP to victory in the Sultanpur Majra constituency by defeating BJP's Ram Chander Chawriya with a margin of 48,042 votes.

By profession, Ahalawat identifies himself as a businessman. Born on November 9, 1975, Ahlawat completed his education up to class 12 from Ravindra Public School, CBSE, in 1994.

Before joining AAP, he contested the 2013 elections from the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) but lost to Congress' Jai Kishan. Sultanpur Majra, a suburban assembly seat, falls under the North West Delhi Lok Sabha constituency.

Atishi and her new cabinet are set to take the oath of office on September 21. However, their tenure will be brief, as Delhi Assembly elections are due in February next year.