The compact car, Arvind Kejriwal's personal vehicle, drove through Delhi without any police escort vehicles. (File photo)
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's blue WagonR drew much attention as he drove down from his home in suburban Ghaziabad, to Delhi's legislative assembly on Thursday morning.
For Delhi-ites it was unusual not to have to make way for flashing beacons and blaring sirens.
The compact car, Mr Kejriwal's personal vehicle, drove through Delhi without any police escort vehicles, stopping at all the four traffic lights on the 16 km route from his fourth floor, three-bedroom apartment to the Vidhan Sabha.
People on two-wheelers, in cars and auto rickshaws, not only clicked photos, many shook hands with Mr Kejriwal while waiting for traffic signals to turn green. Some saluted and waved at the chief minister.
At a traffic crossing near Krishna Nagar in east Delhi, a man, on spotting Mr Kejriwal in the car, parked his two-wheeler on the roadside and brought his 12-year-old daughter to meet the chief minister.
Mr Kejriwal rolled down the window and, after a short chat with them, patted the girl on the head before driving off.
An IANS correspondent who followed Mr Kejriwal's car, also noted how Delhi traffic cops, usually seen blowing whistles frantically and clearing traffic during "VIP movement", seemed unaware that the chief minister was passing by.
Mr Kejriwal was on an important mission - he had to prove his government's majority in the house. In the evening, his Aam Aadmi Party won a vote on its trust motion after a four and a half hour debate.
Making the last speech of the debate, Mr Kejriwal said, "Many people say that by not using a lal batti, I am wasting valuable time when I am waiting at a traffic light...I disagree."
Mr Kejriwal and his ministers have refused red lights or
lal battis for their cars, which entitle politicians to the right of way. Ministers have been taking the metro or auto-rickshaws to work - gestures described as crass photo-ops by the opposition BJP today.