Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal and his six ministers took oath at a mega ceremony at the iconic Ramlila Maidan that was attended by a huge crowd. Apart from Mr Kejriwal, his deputy Manish Sisodia, Satyendar Jain, Gopal Rai, Kailash Gehlot, Imran Hussain and Rajendra Gautam will be part of his new cabinet.
Despite running its campaign on women's issues like free bus rides for women, safety and eight of its women candidates winning the election, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal''s new cabinet does not have a single woman.
The grand event also saw 50 special guests - school teachers, doctors, exam toppers, auto drivers, caretakers and sanitation workers - dubbed as "Delhi ke Nirmata (makers of Delhi)" sharing stage with him. "Party affiliations never stopped me from working for anyone. No matter who you voted for, you are part of my family," said Mr Kejriwal, dedicating his victory to the people.
Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP had scooped up 62 of the Delhi's 70 seats, leaving just eight for the opposition BJP, in a near-identical result to the 2015 polls. While Mr Kejriwal has invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seven BJP parliamentarians who represent the city and all eight newly-elected BJP MLAs to his swearing-in ceremony, none of the chief ministers from other states have been invited for the event billed as a "Delhi-specific" affair. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to give the swearing-in ceremony a miss; he is scheduled to visit his constituency Varanasi to inaugurate various projects.
Here are the HIGHLIGHTS of Arvind Kejriwal swearing-in ceremony:
- Delhi people you have created history. Our model is being replicated across the country.
- Politicians come and go but if the city progesses, it's because of these people.
- I am accused of distributing freebies but all good things in the world are free like a mother's love.
- In the last five years, we have been trying hard to bring happiness, relief in the lives of people of Delhi. For the next years, we will continue to make similar efforts.
- I am Chief Minister for AAP, BJP, Congress, every other party workers. I have never discriminated against anyone in the last five years.
- For the next five years, I will continue to deliver in a similar manner. My message to two crore people of Delhi--- I will work irrespective of whether you voted for me or not.