Arvind Kejriwal To Take Oath As Delhi Chief Minister Today

On the eve of the event, Arvind Kejriwal called a dinner meeting of his ministers-designate

New Delhi:

From sprucing up the sprawling ground to extensive traffic and security arrangements, workers and authorities were busy making final preparations at the historic Ramlila Maidan for today’s swearing-in ceremony of Arvind Kejriwal as the Chief Minister of Delhi.

Big banners bearing messages like “Dhanyawad Dilli (thank you Delhi)” along with the image of the Aam Aadmi Party chief were put up on Saturday in and around the venue ahead of the mega function which is “open to public”.

With AAP scripting its third consecutive win in the Delhi assembly elections, excitement is palpable among party workers and senior leaders alike.

Around 50 people from different walks of life who are responsible for “Delhi nirman” will share stage with Mr Kejriwal during his swearing-in ceremony, AAP leader Manish Sisodia said.

He said these people would include teachers, bus marshalls, architects of the Signature Bridge and families of fire fighters who lost their lives in the line of duty.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been invited to the ceremony, besides BJP MPs and MLAs from Delhi. The AAP had said no chief minister or political leader from other states will be part of the event as it will be a “Delhi-specific” ceremony.

On the eve of the event, Mr Kejriwal called a dinner meeting of his ministers-designate to discuss the roadmap for Delhi’s development, especially the initiatives that need to be prioritised in the coming three months, according to party functionaries.

All the six ministers in the previous government — Manish Sisodia, Satyendar Jain, Gopal Rai, Kailash Gehlot, Imran Hussain and Rajendra Gautam — have been retained.

Officials said 2,000 to 3,000 security personnel from the Delhi Police and paramilitary forces, including the CRPF, were deployed for the ceremony which is scheduled to begin at 10 am. Drones were likely to be used for aerial surveillance.

Traffic regulations will be in place in the area from 8 am to 2 pm, they said.

Mr Kejriwal had on Thursday extended invitation to Delhiites to attend his oath-taking ceremony to “bless their son”. Advertisements were also issued in leading dailies.