Kejriwal To Take Oath At 12.15 p.m. At Ramlila Maidan Today

16 Feb, 2020 10:19 IST|Sakshi
Baby mufflerman Avyaan Tomar, CM  Arvind Kejriwal

NEW DELHI: Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal will take oath as Delhi chief minister at 12.15 p.m. here on Sunday at historic Ramlila Maidan.

Kejriwal's cabinet which includes Manish Sisodia, Satyendar Jain, Gopal Rai, Kailash Gehlot, Imran Hussain and Rajendra Gautam, will also take oath with him. Kejriwal has invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the seven BJP MPs of Delhi and all councillors for the swearing in ceremony.

Elaborate arrangements have been made for the oath taking ceremony. About 5000 policemen have been deployed around Ramlila Maidan to maintain law and order. To keep an eye on the miscreants, 125 CCTV cameras have been placed and 12 LED screens have also been set up. Sitting arrangements have been made for at least 45,000 people. The Delhi police have announced traffic restrictions in central Delhi that will be in effect from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. AAP had bagged 62 of the Delhi's 70 seats, leaving just eight for the rival BJP, in a near repeat of the 2015 polls.

Know Delhi cabinet ministers

Aam Aadmi Party Chief Arvind Kejriwal will take oath on Sunday as the Delhi Chief Minister along with his cabinet of six ministers. Kejriwal has retained all the cabinet ministers who were part of his last government.

While the designated Ministers will be taking oath along with Kejriwal, the Department allocation is yet to happen. Sources say the majority of the responsibilities will remain the same, but there could be some changes. During the 2015-2020 term, while Kejriwal was the Chief Minister, who also looked after the Water Works Department, Manish Sisodia was his deputy with the charge of 11 Departments. Sisodia headed the Finance, Education, Tourism, Planning, Land and Building, Vigilance,Services, Women and Child Affairs, Art, Culture and Language Departments. Satyendar Jain was heading the Home, Health, Public Works Department, Power, Industries, Urban Development,Irrigation and Flood Control Departments. Gopal Rai, the Babarpur MLA, was heading the Labour, Employment, Development and General Administration Departments. Imran Hussain headed the Food and Supply, and the Elections Departments. While Hussain was heading the Forest and Environment for most of the term, it was later transfected to Kailash Gahlot towards the end of the tenure. Gahlot was also responsible for the Transport, Revenue, Law and Justice, Legislative Affairs, Information and Technology, and dministrative Reforms Departments. Rajendra Pal Gautam was responsible for the Social welfare, SC and ST, Cooperative and Gurudwara Elections Departments.

Kejriwal Delhi's only CM to take oath in Ramlila Maidan

Aam Aadmi Party national convener Arvind Kejriwal is the first and the only Chief Minister of Delhi who has preferred the historic Ramlila Maidan for his oath ceremonies, while his predecessors took oath in the Raj Niwas.

The venue in the national capital is indeed close to Kejriwal's heart as it was from this place that Kejriwal joined Anna Hazare's India Against Corruption movement in 2011. The movement later became Kejriwal's gateway to politics in 2012. The city went for polls in 2013, and Kejriwal became the Chief Minister of Delhi with the help of the Congress. He took the oath for the first time on December 28, 2013 in the Ramlila Maidan. However, after 49 days in office Kejriwal resigned on February 14, 2014, the City again went for polls in 2015 and from the same venue a year later on February 14, 2015, he took oath for the second time as the Chief Minister of Delhi. After completing the term in office, Kejriwal has been again elected as the Delhi Chief Minister for the third time and will be taking the oath from the same venue. Apart from Kejriwal and Aam Aadmi Party, the venue has witnessed the presence of prominent personalities and historical events. As the name says, the ground had been famous for the Ramlila plays -- the dramatic folk re-enactment of the life of Lord Ram. However, it has also hosted numerous historic speeches in the past, including the one by the Queen of the England, Elizabeth II, who addressed from here in 1961, along with the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. Playback singer Lata Mangeshkar has performed here after the Indo-China war. Lal Bahadur Shastri gave his slogan "Jai Jawan Jai Kisan" from this venue. During the infamous Emergency, the ground witnessed several protests. On the reason for selecting the venue, an AAP leader said: "The common man of the city is our backbone. They are our strength. It is important for us to involve the people of the city in our crucial moments. So, we need big space for the swearing-in and so the Ramlila ground is the best." (IANS)

Also Read: AAP’s Post-poll Big Task: Control Over Babus’ Posting

whatsapp channel
Read More:
More News