Arvind Kejriwal’s public swearing-in at noon tomorrow

mangaloretoday.com

New Delhi, Dec 27:  At noon tomorrow, Arvind Kejriwal will officially become Delhi’s seventh chief minister.

The 45-year-old former tax official will be sworn in at his request at the city’s large Ramlila Maidan, a public park. Mr Kejriwal said "everyone is invited" to the ceremony; he plans to ride the metro to the ceremony.

The Delhi Police has issued a detailed traffic advisory.

 

Nearly 1,600 policemen will guard the venue where Mr Kejriwal will take his oath along with six ministers from his one-year-old Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) which made a sensational electoral debut by placing second in the Delhi elections held recently.

Mr Kejriwal’s decision to use public transport echoes his pre-poll promise to end the VIP culture of Delhi’s political elite and set a down-to-earth tone for his new administration.

The AAP, born out of the anti-corruption movement that swept India two years ago, has tapped into a rich vein of anger about everyday graft  and scandals that have embroiled the national government.

Mr Kejriwal will lead a minority administration after his party accepted support from the Congress party, which ended a distant third in the polls. He has been asked to prove his majority in a vote by January 3.

This is the second time a chief minister of Delhi will take oath at a public ceremony. In 1996, BJP leader Sahib Singh Verma  was sworn in at a stadium.

CCTV cameras have been installed at more than 20 strategic locations and  Delhi Police commandos and bomb squads will be deployed along with anti-riot police and vehicles at the
venue.