AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal took oath as the Chief Minister of Delhi for the third consecutive time on Sunday at the city’s Ramlila Maidan where a multi-level security arrangement has been put in place.
Taking to Twitter on Sunday morning, Mr. Kejriwal had urged Delhiites to attend his oath-taking ceremony to bless "their son".
Here are live updates from the ceremony:
I want to work with the Centre to make Delhi No.1: Kejriwal
In his maiden speech as the new Chief Minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal stressed on working together with Delhiites and the Centre to improve the infrastructural and educational credentials of the Union Territory.
"Your son has taken oath for third time as Delhi CM; this is not my victory but yours," said Mr. Kejriwal. "I did not give step-motherly treatment to anyone, I worked for everyone in last 5 years I want to make Delhi beautiful and work with all the people," he said.
"Now that the elections are over, the bitterness is over. I have forgiven my rivals for saying things against me. I want to work with the Centre to make Delhi the No.1 city. I had invited the Prime Minister for this function to seek his blessings for smooth governance of Delhi, but he couldn't come... perhaps he was busy," said Mr. Kejriwal.
'Some people are saying Kejriwal gives everything free. But God has made everything free in this world. A mother's love or a father's sacrifice for his child is free. You tell me can I charge fee from a child in government school? Shame on such a Chief Minister!," he added.
The Chief Minister ended his speech after singing a few lines of 'Hum hoonge kaamiyaab...' ('We shall overcome').
Even as CM Arvind Kejriwal addresses Delhi, a small commotion broke out the AAP's free cola distribution booth. According to reports, people broke the queue, damaging a portion of the makeshift shade in the process. Delhi police was quick to intervene.
No women in Kejriwal's Cabinet
Despite doing extremely well in the Delhi polls, no women candidate from AAP has found a position in CM Arvind Kejriwal's Cabinet for the next five years.
Eight of the nine women candidates fielded by the AAP in the Delhi Assembly polls won, helping the party register a thumping election victory.
AAP’s Atishi, who had unsuccessfully contested last year’s Lok Sabha polls from the East Delhi constituency, was fielded from Kalkaji in place of sitting MLA Avtar Singh Kalka. She won the seat by a margin of over 11,300 votes.
Other winners include Dhanwati Chandela, Rajkumari Dhillon, Bandana Kumari, Preeti Tomar, Bhavna Gaur, Pramila Tokas and Rakhi Birla.
Old Cabinet retained
Following Mr. Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia took oath as a Delhi Minister.The other Ministers to take oath includes Satyendar Jain, Gopal Rai, Kailash Gehlot, Imran Hussain and Rajendra Gautam.
There are no women ministers in the Delhi Cabinet 2020-25.
The following is the form of oath of office for a Minister for a State:
“I, A.B., do swear in the name of God that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of India as by law established, 1 [that I will uphold the sovereignty and integrity of India,] that I will faithfully and conscientiously discharge my duties as a Minister for the State of ..........and that I will do right to all manner of people in accordance with the Constitution and the law without fear or favour, affection or ill-will.”
Arvind Kejriwal takes oath as Delhi CM for the 3rd time
In a short oath-taking ceremony, Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Delhi. This is his third stint as Delhi CM.
Taking oath in God's name, Mr. Kejriwal said that he swears upon the Indian Constitution to protect the people of Delhi and to keep the unity of the country intact.
"I, do swear in the name of God/solemnly affirm that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of India as by law established, that I will uphold the sovereignty and integrity of India, that I will faithfully and conscientiously discharge my duties as a Minister for the State and that I will do right to all manner of people in accordance with the Constitution and the law without fear or favour, affection or ill-will," he said.
Mr. Kejriwal’s AAP won 62 seats in the Delhi Assembly elections, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won eight seats.
AAP invites ‘Baby Mufflerman’ to Arvind Kejriwal’s oath-taking ceremony
The AAP has invited one-year-old Avyaan Tomar, who had dressed up as party chief Arvind Kejriwal on the day of the Delhi Assembly election results and won hearts both on the ground and online, to Mr. Kejriwal’s oath-taking ceremony on Sunday.
A young boy dressed as Mr. Kejriwal seen outside the party headquarter as AAP celebrates its huge victory in the Delhi Assembly Election on Tuesday, February 11, 2020.
The Hindu had reported how Avyaan and his family left the party headquarters on Tuesday after failing to meet Mr. Kejriwal after hours of waiting. Avyaan was dubbed as “baby mufflerman”, “chotta Kejriwal” and “baby Kejriwal” after photos of him sporting a black muffler, an AAP topi , a moustache and a pair of spectacles went viral.
“Big Announcement: Baby Mufflerman is invited to the swearing in ceremony of @ArvindKejriwal on 16th Feb. Suit up Junior!” the AAP said in a tweet on Thursday, along with a photo of Avyaan.
Eclectic mix of attendees for swearing-in
Fifty persons, including safai karmacharis, students, teachers, doctors, and bus marshals — called Delhi ke Nirmata — will share the stage as special guests with Arvind Kejriwal during his swearing-in on Sunday.
List contains principals, teachers, traders, labourers, engineers, doctors, bus marshals, auto drivers, metro pilots, farmers, anganwadi workers, sanitation worker and others who have contributed in building Delhi.
Special invitees include the beneficiary students of the Jai Bhim Yojana, who are expected to contribute towards the development of Delhi in the future also are invited.
Mr. Satyadev Manjhi has come all the way from Baliyan Gram Panchayat in Bihar for the swearing in ceremony. He is on a mission to spread the "Hum Do Hamare Do" slogan to control population and wants Mr. Kejriwal to support him.
The students of Delhi government schools who won chemistry and maths olympiads in Moscow, doctors of Mohalla clinics, bike ambulance drivers, the Farishteys of Delhi and the familiy members of the martyrs those who received ₹1 crore as 'samman rashi' from the Chief Minister were also invited.
The list also contains architects of the Signature Bridge, mobile sahayaks who brought various government services to the doorsteps of the people of Delhi, and representatives from the farming community.
Data | How many times did incumbents retain power in Assembly elections since 2014?
The Aam Aadmi Party returned to power in Delhi winning 88% of the seats and over 53% of the total votes. Since 1972, no other party has received such a strong mandate in a Delhi Assembly re-election.
Since the BJP’s win in the 2014 Lok Sabha election, there have been only 6 out of 33 State elections in which a non-BJP incumbent has returned to power.
Hectic preparations for AAP’s big day
The white stage from where Mr. Kejriwal and his Cabinet will take oath on Sunday afternoon is being decorated with orange, white and yellow flowers. Facing the stage, thousands of metal chairs with green and red seats were being arranged for the event.
The chairs were divided into nine blocks for the public, which were separated by metal walls, and in one such block more than 100 AAP volunteers had assembled to take instructions for Sunday’s duty.
(With inputs from PTI)
