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Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal Swearing-in LATEST Updates: Much has to be accomplished in Delhi, but it can only be done with your support, Arvind Kejriwal said, urging parties to forget all that happened during the election and the campaign period before it. “Let’s work together to make Delhi progress. I am ready to work with the Centre for Delhi’s betterment. I want Modi’s blessing too for Delhi’s vikas,” he said. Beginning with the chant of ‘Bharat mata ki jai’, Kejriwal addressed the thousands at Ramlila Maidan and said, “Your son has become the Chief Minister for the third time.” He called it the victory of every Delhi resident, every mother, sister, youth, student and family. He added that the AAP’s intent has always been to bring happiness to the lives of every Delhi resident. Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, Delhi labour minister Gopal Rai and Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain were administered oaths by L-G Anil Baijal at Ramlila Maidan. Kejriwal took oath as the Chief Minister of Delhi in the presence of Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal at Ramlila Maidan. Songs like ‘Rang De Basanti’ played at the Ramlila Maidan and posters bearing the message “Nayak 2 is back” were on display as thousands gathered for the oath-taking ceremony of Arvind Kejriwal and six other ministers of the Delhi Cabinet. Kejriwal will return to the position for a third consecutive term. The ceremony has officially begun, TV channels report. Kejriwal has reached the venue with his wife, mother and daughter. At least, 50 people from different walks of life who are responsible for ‘Delhi nirman’ will share stage with Kejriwal during his swearing-in ceremony, senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia said. He said these people would include teachers, bus marshalls, architects of the Signature Bridge and families of firefighters who lost their lives. An hour ahead of the oath-taking ceremony, Arvind Kejriwal tweeted to appeal to the people of Delhi to visit Ramlila Maidan and “bless their son”. He will be taking oath as the Chief Minister for the third time. Along with him, six AAP ministers will also be sworn in. In the ceremony that will begin at 10 am, six ministers apart from Arvind Kejriwal will also take oath. The six ministers - Manish Sisodia, Satyendra Jain, Gopal Rai, Kailash Gahlot, Imran Hussain, Rajendra Pal Gautam - were a part of the previous Delhi Cabinet too. A police official told PTI that nearly 3,000 security personnel will be deployed for the swearing-in ceremony of Arvind Kejriwal and other Delhi ministers. CCTV cameras will be fitted at and outside the venue. Forty-five thousand chairs will be installed in Ramlila Maidan. AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal will take the oath as Delhi chief minister for the third time along with his cabinet at the Ramlila ground at 10 am today. Campaigning on its work in health, education, water and electricity sector, Kejriwal’s party achieved a massive mandate for the second time in the Delhi Assembly election, where it won 62 of the 70 seats. Polling was held on 8 February and the results were declared on 11 February. According to an official notification, President Ram Nath Kovind has also appointed six AAP MLAs as ministers of the Delhi government following the advice of the chief minister-designate. [caption id=“attachment_8045291” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]
Preparation underway at Ramlila Maidan ahead of the oath-taking ceremony of AAP government in New Delhi. PTI[/caption] The six ministers who will take oath along with Kejriwal on Sunday are: Manish Sisodia, Satyender Jain, Gopal Rai, Kailash Gehlot, Imran Hussain and Rajendra Gautam. Sisodia said that around 50 people from different walks of life, including teachers, bus marshalls, architects of the Signature Bridge and family of firefighters who lost their lives, among others, will share the stage with Kejriwal. Though Kejriwal extended an invitation for the ceremony to Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well, he is unlikely to attend it as he is scheduled to visit his parliamentary constituency Varanasi on Sunday. According to reports, the swearing-in ceremony is also unlikely to be attended by any Opposition leaders or chief ministers of other non-BJP leaders. The ceremony is scheduled at the Ramlila Ground on Sunday and traffic regulation will be in place in the area from 8 am to 2 pm, the Delhi Police said. Kejriwal calls meet According to party functionaries, Kejriwal on Saturday called a dinner meeting of his cabinet ministers to discuss a roadmap for Delhi’s development. Kejriwal is likely to discuss with his ministers initiatives that need to be prioritised and action items for the Delhi government in the coming three months. The meeting will also focus on developing a roadmap to make Delhi a global city, they said. ‘Circular is dictatorial’ The oath-taking ceremony has already been embroiled into a controversy over a Directorate of Education circular making it “compulsory” for government school teachers to attend Kejriwal’s oath-taking ceremony as Delhi chief minister. In a tweet, Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said, “The Aam Aadmi Party, which has won elections by making announcement of freebies, has enough MLAs but not public support.” “With the fear of people not attending the swearing-in ceremony, the government has issued a diktat to 30,000 teachers to mandatorily attend,” he added. Delhi Congress’s chief spokesperson Mukesh Sharma took to Twitter to say, “A government order has been issued asking government school teachers to reach at the Arvind Kejriwal government’s oath-taking ceremony. It is clear that power is being ‘misused’ to gather a crowd for the swearing-in ceremony.” Sharma urged Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal to take cognisance of it. Newly-elected BJP MLA Vijender Gupta wrote to Kejriwal on Saturday requesting him to withdraw the circular. Gupta, Leader of Opposition in the previous Assembly, called the Friday’s circular “dictatorial” that shattered his belief that Kejriwal’s focus after coming back to power would be on governance and strengthening democratic ethos. “By virtue of the order, 15,000 teachers and officials will have to attend the oath ceremony,” Gupta wrote in his letter to Kejriwal. Gupta, who has been re-elected from Rohini constituency, said he would attend Kejriwal’s oath taking ceremony. Reacting to Gupta’s objection, the vice-chairman of Delhi Dialogue and Development Commission, Jasmine Shah, said teachers and principals were “architects” of Delhi’s transformation in the past five years and they “deserved to be invited” for the swearing-in ceremony. “When did BJP last think of teachers in at the centre of your ‘vikas’ (development) model? Never did, never will,” Shah tweeted. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) bagged the eight seats in the 70-member Assembly while the Congress drew a blank for the second consecutive time.
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal Swearing-in Updates: Need Narendra Modi, Centre's blessing to develop Delhi, says AAP chief
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal Swearing-in Updates: Much has to be accomplished in Delhi, but it can only be done with your support, Arvind Kejriwal said, urging parties to forget all that happened during the election and the campaign period before it. ‘I am ready to work with the Centre for Delhi’s betterment. I want Modi’s blessing too,’ he said
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WATCH | Kejriwal ends speech with song ‘Hum honge kamyab’
At the end of the speech in which he promised the development and betterment of Delhi and thanked the people for bring him and AAP to pwoer for the third consecutive time, Arvind Kejriwal sang the song “Hum honge kamyaab” (we will succeed).
Every valuable thing is free, says Kejriwal
Stating the criticism he has received for winning an election based on freebies, Arvind Kejriwal said, “Nature has ensured every valuable thing in the world is free, be it Mother’s love, father’s blessings or Shravan Kumar’s dedication. I cannot charge the students of Delhi for studies. I can’t charge patients visiting Delhi hospitals. The world will soon hail India. I want to work with the Centre to make Delhi number one city.”
Will work with Centre, political parties to ensure progress in Delhi, says Kejriwal
Speaking after being sworn in, Arvind Kejriwal said that he is now the Chief Minister to everyone – those who voted for the BJP, Congress and other parties too. “I am the CM for every Delhiite. You are now my family and I will work for you irrespective of class, economic status, religion and caste,” he said.
“Much has to be accomplished in Delhi, but it can only be done with your support,” he said, urging parties to forget all that happened during the election and the campaign period before it.
“Let’s work together to make Delhi progress. I am ready to work with the Centre for Delhi’s betterment. I want Modi’s blessing too for Delhi’s vikas,” he said.
He added that the people of Delhi have given “birth to new politics”, which involves schools, hospitals, electricity, water, good roads and women security.
Your son has become the CM: Kejriwal says at Ramlila Maidan
Beginning with the chant of ‘Bharat mata ki jai’, Arvind Kejriwal addressed the thousands at Ramlila Maidan and said, “Your son has become the Chief Minister for the third time.”
He called it the victory of every Delhi resident, every mother, sister, youth, student and family. He added that the AAP’s intent has always been to bring happiness to the lives of every Delhi resident.
Kailash Gahlot, Imran Hussain, Rajendra Pal Gautam take oath as Delhi ministers
After being a aprt of the Delhi Cabinet formed in 2015, Kailash Gahlot, Imran Hussain, Rajendra Pal Gautam were sworn in again as ministers at Ramlila Maidan, after oath was administered to Arvind Kejriwal.
Manish Sisodia, Satyendar Jain, Gopal Rai take oath as ministers
Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, Delhi labour minister Gopal Rai and Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain were administered oaths by L-G Anil Baijal at Ramlila Maidan.
Arvind Kejriwal becomes Chief Minister of Delhi for 3rd consecutive term
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal took oath as the Chief Minister of Delhi, five days after the AAP government came into power with a thumping victory in 62 seats.
Not kurta pajama, AAP ministers show up in jeans for swearing-in
Unlike mainstream netas who wear kurta pajama for official ceremonies, the AAP ministers were seen dressed in casual formals pleasantly breaking the norm.
Kejriwal reaches Ramlila Maidan; huge crowds have gathered at venue
Chief Minister-designate Arvind Kejriwal has reached the Ramlila Maidan, along with his parents, wife and children. He will shortly take oath as the Chief Minister for the third time.
Meanwhile, huge crowds have descended upon the venue, which has been witness to iconic protests and rallies.
People voted for education over divisive politics, says Kalkaji MLA Atishi
Kalkaji MLA and senior AAP leader Atishti told FirstPost that a good education can pull someone oout of poverty and people have voted on the basis of the agenda. “For all the talk about Shaheen Bagh, and this is a constituency which is located right next to Shaheen Bagh, we share this entire border with the Okhla constituency, it is clear that people voted for education and healthcare over polarisation and divisive politics,” she said.
“Of the nearly 72,000 people who live here, all the children from here go to government schools. And you can just see how their lives have changed,” she added.
AAP leaders begin arriving at Ramlila Maidan
Deputy CM Manish Sisodia and senior party leader and Kalkaji MLA Atishi have reached the Ramlila Maidan where thousands will witness Arvind Kejriwal being administered oath as the Chief Minister of Delhi.
All Delhi MLAs, including 8 BJP MLAs, have been invited for the ceremony. However, prominent leaders and chief ministers from other states have not been invited in order to keep the ceremony “Delhi-specific”.
Next step for AAP is Punjab, says Atishi
In an interview with FirstPost , senior AAP leader and Kalkaji MLA Atishi said that the idea of AAP’s politics, based on work and people’s issues, is “bound to spread very fast”.
“Delhi is our first priority and will always be because the people have elected us with a mammoth majority for the second time in a row. We’ll gradually expand into other states. Next step, of course, is Punjab, where we are the principal Opposition party,” she said.
Student activist, fiery orator, Gopal Rai to return as minister in Kejriwal-led Cabinet
Aam Aadmi Party’s Gopal Rai won from the Babarpur Assembly constituency. In the Kejriwal-led Cabinet formed in 2015, Rai was the minister holding the portfolios of employment, development, labour, general administration department, irrigation and flood control. In 2016, he resigned as the transport minister after facing charges of corruption in the ambitious app-based premium bus service scheme.
A member of the political affairs committee and national executive of the AAP, Rai began his public life as an AISA-affiliated student activist at Lucknow University. As a result of his activism, Rai was once shot at, leading to him suffering some injuries which left him partially paralysed.
Rai was at the forefront of the Jan Lokpal movement. He was in the eye of a storm in December 2013, when he got into a verbal spat with now Union minister General (retd) VK Singh over the Jan Lokpal Bill. As the labour minister, Rai is credited with increasing the minimum wages in Delhi.
‘Nayak 2 is back’ poster seen at Ramlila Maidan
At the swearing-in of Arvind Kejriwal in Ramlila Maidan, supporters displayed a posted that said “Nayak 2 is back again”. The poster has a picture of actor Anil Kapoor on the right hand side, and a picture of Arvind Kejriwal wearing the famous “Anna cap” with Aam Aadmi written on it.
Kejriwal’s bureaucrat-turned-politician trajectory was compared with the a similar fictional character played in the Hindi film Nayak.
Tennis player, mohalla doctor among 50 Delhi nirmatas to share stage with Kejriwal
At the swearing-in ceremony, 50 ‘Delhi nirmatas’ will share the stage with Arvind Kejriwal. Among those invited are international tennis player Sumit Nagal, Delhi government school student and beneficiary of Jai Bhim Mukhyamantri Pratibha Vikas Yojana Vijay Kumar, mohalla clinic doctor Alka, bike ambulance service officer Yudhishtir Rathee, bus marshall Arun Kumar, Signature bridge architect Ratan Jamshed Batliboi and Metro pilot Nidhi Gupta.
Kalkaji MLA Atishi promises to focus on improving educational facilities
Senior AAP leader and Kalkaji MLA Atishi told FirstPost in an interview that improving the condition of existing schools is going to be her number one focus.
“But I am also trying to increase the number of schools here. I think that is going to be a priority. Early childhood education in terms of Aanganwadis is going to be a priority. As far as education is concerned, these will the main priorities,” she said.
Journalist to deputy CM, Manish Sisodia hailed for drastic reforms at Delhi’s government schools
Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia won from Patparganj for the third consecutive time. He contested against Ravi Negi of the BJP and Congress’ Laxman Rawat.
In the AAP government formed in Delhi after the 2015 Assembly polls, he handled the finance, education, planning, urban development, revenue, services, local bodies, land & buildings, higher education, training & technical education, vigilance, cooperative societies, information technology, and information & publicity portfolios.
A former journalist, he began his public life as an activist in the Right To Information Act movement before becoming active in the Anna Hazare-led Jan Lokpal movement along with Kejriwal. In fact, he was one of the few activists chosen by activist Aruna Roy to draft the RTI Act. A founding member of the Aam Aadmi Party, he is a member of the political affairs committee of the party. Sisodia was named the deputy chief minister of Delhi in February 2015.
Kejriwal first Delhi CM to take oath at Ramlila Maidan
Arvind Kejriwal is the first Delhi Chief Minister to take oath at the Ramlila Maidan, while his predecessors were sworn in at the Raj Niwas.
In the 2013 Delhi Assembly polls, Kejriwal became the chief minister and took oath for the first time at Ramlila Maidan. After 49 days in office, Kejriwal resigned and Delhi went for polls in 2015.
From the same venue a year later on 14 February, 2015, he took oath as the CM for the second time. He will be taking oath as the CM for the third time from Ramlila Maidan.
‘Come and bless your son’: Kejriwal appeals to people ahead of oath-taking
An hour ahead of the oath-taking ceremony, Arvind Kejriwal tweeted to appeal to the people of Delhi to visit Ramlila Maidan and “bless their son”. He will be taking oath as the Chief Minister for the third time. Along with him, six AAP ministers will also be sworn in.
Kejriwal meets Cabinet ministers day ahead of oath-taking ceremony
Avind Kejriwal on Saturday called for a dinner meeting of his new Cabinet ministers to discuss the action plan of the Delhi Government for the next three months. The agenda was to discuss priority initiatives and action plan of the Delhi government for the next three months.
The Cabinet was also to discuss developing a roadmap for making Delhi a 21st century global city.
DoE withdraws order for compulsory attendance of teachers at oath-taking ceremony
Delhi’s Directorate of Education (DoE) on Saturday went back on its circular making he attendance of teachers at the oath-taking ceremony of Arvind Kejriwal mandatory. The new circular read, “It is clarified that aforesaid communication is ‘invitational’ in nature. Therefore, no attendance will be taken or compiled at the entry gates. All other instructions in the said circular may be adhered to.”
According to the DOE circular as accessed by India Today , the Directorate of Education had issued a circular inviting all school teachers, principals, vice-principals, happiness coordinators, department of education officials and mentor teachers to the swearing-in ceremony.
Delhi’s Directorate of Education (DoE) had issued a circular on Friday to its officials and teachers and principals of Delhi government schools to attend the swearing-in-ceremony of the chief minister and his council of ministers on Sunday, a move slammed by opposition leaders. The circular also says attendance will be compiled at the entry gates of the Ramlila Maidan.
AAP supporters flock to Ramlila Maidan for oath-taking ceremony
An Aam Aadmi Party fan Uday Veer arrived at Ramlila Maidan for Chief Minister-designate Arvind Kejriwal’s swearing-in ceremony. Among the special attendees will also be ‘baby mufflerman’, a child who was dressed up as Kejriwal on the counting day.
Nothing wrong with repetition of Cabinet, says Manish Sisodia
Deputy CM and senior AAP leader Manish sisodia is among the faces who will remain in the Delhi Cabinet. There is nothing wrong if Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal repayts the Cabinet, Sisodia told ANI.
“People are happy with the work of the Cabinet and we won the elections on basis of our work. We will continue to build and maintain the confidence of the people,” he said.
Kejriwal’s wax statue unveiled in Ludhiana
A wax statue of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was unveiled at the Wax Museum in Ludhiana, Punjab.
Kejirwal’s oath-taking ceremony will begin at 10 am at Ramlila Maidan.
On day of Kejriwal’s swearing-in ceremony, Modi to inaugurate 30 projects in Varanasi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was invited to the swearing-in at Ramlila Maidan, but has not confirmed yet if he will attend the ceremony.
Modi is scheduled to visit Varanasi on Sunday to inaugurate 30 projects.
Teachers, bus marshalls, ‘baby mufflerman’ to be special invitees at event
Around 50 people from different walks of life who are responsible for ‘Delhi nirman’ will share stage with Kejriwal during his swearing-in ceremony, senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia said. He said these people would include teachers, bus marshalls, architects of the Signature Bridge and families of firefighters who lost their lives.
“Baby Mufflerman’’ Aavyan Tomar, who dressed up as the AAP convenor on counting day, is a ‘special invitee’ at the ceremony.
Traffic restrictions in place in Delhi ahead of AAP 3.0’s swearing-in
On Sunday, cars will have to be parked at the Civic Centre and behind it, PTI reported. Buses will be parked on Mata Sundri Road, Power House Road, Velodrome Road, Rajghat parking, Shanti Van parking and service roads in Rajghat and Samta Sthal as per requirements, the advisory said.
OB vans shall be parked on the footpath along JLN Marg opposite Ramlila Maidan beyond gate number 2 up to the roundabout near Kamla Market, it stated.
Police, authorities prepare for thousands to attend swearing-in ceremony
A police official told PTI that nearly 3,000 security personnel will be deployed for the swearing-in ceremony of Arvind Kejriwal and other Delhi ministers. CCTV cameras will be fitted at and outside the venue.
Forty-five thousand chairs will be installed in Ramlila Maidan. No tents will be installed so that people can clearly see the oath-taking of Arvind Kejriwal and his cabinet. Officials said that besides seating arrangements, there will be provision for people to stand as thousands are expected to attend the swearing-in.
Arrangements for other sanitation facilities like mobile toilets, are being done, the official said. Twelve large LED screens will be installed. Big banners bearing messages like ‘Dhanyawad Dilli’ along with the image of the AAP chief were put up on Saturday in and around the venue ahead of the mega function which is “open to public”.
The sprawling ground has a capacity of about 1.25 lakh people.
Swearing-in to be a ‘Delhi-specific’ ceremony, CMs of other states not invited
No chief minister or political leader from other states will be part of the event as it will be a “Delhi-specific” ceremony, Gopal Rai had said last week.
AAP instead gave front-page advertisements in newspapers, urging the people of Delhi to participate in the event, hoping that more than 50,000 people will come to see Arvind Kejriwal taking the oath as CM.
“Delhiites, your son is going to take oath of Delhi chief minister for the third time. You must come to bless your son. Sunday, February 16, 10 am, Ramlila Maidan,” Arvind Kejriwal had tweeted in Hindi.
Narendra Modi may not attend swearing-in ceremony
AAP invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend Arvind Kejriwal’s swearing-in. However, it is not known if the PM will attend the ceremony. Modi had congratulated Arvind Kejriwal wishing him “very best in fulfilling the aspirations of the people of Delhi”.
The eight newly-elected BJP MLAs have been invited for the oath-taking ceremony, AAP leader Gopal Rai had told PTI on Thursday. An AAP leader had earlier said that all municipal councillors have also been invited in the ceremony.
Ramlila Maidan was centre of anti-corruption stir that brought Kejriwal into prominence
Kejriwal will take oath at the Ramlila Maidan at 10 am. The venue was the centre of the Anna Hazare-led India Against Corruption movement. Before entering politics, Kejriwal came to be known through this movement.
Then a fierce activist and a staunch critics of the government under Narendra Modi’s leadership, Kejriwal’s image changed over the years to a candidate who stayed measured in his responses to various statements made by the BJP, including blaming the AAP for encouraging the anti-CAA protesters in the National Capital.
Traffic regulation around Ramlila Maidan to be in force till 2 pm
The Delhi Police had issued a traffic advisory for the day, which says that traffic regulation will be in place in the Ramlila Maidan area from 8 am to 2 pm.
According to the advisory, no commercial vehicles will be allowed from Rajghat chowk and Delhi Gate chowk towards Guru Nanak Dev chowk via JLN Marg, Chatta Rail towards Delhi Gate chowk via Netaji Subhash Marg, Paharganj chowk towards Ajmeri Gate via Desh Bandu Gupta Road, Ram Charan Aggarwal chowk towards Delhi Gate chowk via Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, DDU Minto Road towards Kamla Market chowk via Vivekanand Marg and Barakhamba Tolstoy towards Ranjit Singh flyover.
Six AAP ministers to be retained in Cabinet
In the ceremony that will begin at 10 am, six ministers apart from Arvind Kejriwal will also take oath.
The six ministers – Manish Sisodia, Satendra Jain, Gopal Rai, Kailash Gehlot, Imran Hussain, Rajendra Pal Gautam – were a part of the previous Delhi Cabinet.
On Friday, President Ram Nath Kovind had appointed Kejriwal as the new Chief Minister of Delhi. According to an official notification, Kovind had also appointed six MLAs as ministers of the Delhi government following the advice of the chief minister.
AAP sees thumping victory yet again, but margin decreases
In the 8 February polls, the AAP won in 62 seats in the 70-member Delhi Assembly. In the results announced on 11 February, BJP won in just eight constituencies, while the Congress failed to open its account.
In the 2015 Assembly polls, AAP had won in 67 constituencies and BJP in three. Even then, Congress had won no seats.