Arvind Kejriwal sworn-in as Delhi's chief minister, says overwhelmed by mandate
New Delhi, Feb 14: AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal was on Saturday sworn in as Delhi's chief minister in the presence of Lt Governor Najeeb Jung at the Ramlila Maidan in the heart of the capital. Six of his cabinet colleagues also took oath as minister.
Cheering Aam Aadmi Party supporters started flocking to the ground in the heart of the capital right from the morning, and excitement ran high whenever a prominent party leader was spotted.
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While most AAP activists and supporters were from Delhi, large numbers also came from other states, particularly neighbouring Haryana.
Thousands of police and paramilitary personnel deployed at the venue, which had a fresh look, had a tough time as the crowds began to swell just after 9 a.m.
Ppl
from
every
sect,
religion,
rich,
poor
every1
voted.
God
is
trying
to
tell
us
something:
Arvind
Kejriwal,
CM
Delhi
pic.twitter.com/G4KhJjXhQO
—
ANI
(@ANI_news)
February
14,
2015
Many in the gathering waved the Indian tricolour and others the AAP flag. Many held large photographs of Kejriwal, who led the AAP to a thumping win in the Delhi assembly election, sweeping 67 of the 70 seats.
The Bharatiya Janata Party was left hanging with just three seats. The Congress, which had ruled Delhi for 15 long years until the December 2013 election that brought the AAP to power for the first time, was wiped out.
If
anyone
wears
our
"topi"
&
indulges
in
gundagardi,
I
direct
the
police
to
take
action
against
him
and
put
him
in
jail:
Arvind
Kejriwal
—
ANI
(@ANI_news)
February
14,
2015
"This is a victory of the people," said AAP leader Dilip Pandey. "We were in a bad shape after the Lok Sabha election and we knew we had to stand up again. We were determined."
Kejriwal's earlier government, backed by the Congress, collapsed in just 49 days when he resigned. The AAP could not win any of the seven Lok Sabha seats last year.
Some
doctors
said
ppl
with
topis
came
to
hospital
&
did
gundagardi,
I
dont
expect
our
workers
to
do
this:
Kejriwal
pic.twitter.com/7z3iqg0Ipk
—
ANI
(@ANI_news)
February
14,
2015
Kejriwal, 46, is going to hold the portfolios of finance and power departments. Manish Sisodia will be Kejriwal's deputy. The other ministers are Satyendra Jain, Gopal Rai, Asim Mohammad Khan, Sandeep Kumar and Jitendra Singh Tomar.
It
was
due
to
our
arrogance
that
we
were
over
ambitious
in
the
Lok
Sabha
elections,
we
were
taught
a
lesson:
Kejriwal
pic.twitter.com/wF15luZJWr
—
ANI
(@ANI_news)
February
14,
2015
BJP's chief ministerial candidate Kiran Bedi, who lost the election, earlier tweeted: "Today is the day of celebration and reflection. When both the processes are done with true responsibility and commitment, India is the real winner."
Earlier, hundreds of people gathered outside Kejriwal's Girnar Tower apartment complex at Kaushambi in nearby Ghaziabad raising slogans hailing the new Delhi chief minister and the AAP.
Besides Sisodia, party leaders Sanjay Singh, Ashish Khaitan and Kumar Vishwas reached there in the morning.
Many danced on the streets to drum beats. The police had a tough time controlling the crowd.
AAP sources said Kejriwal was not in the best of health and he would leave for Ramlila Maidan in a car. Last time, he had boarded a Delhi Metro train along with thousands to reach the venue.
IANS