Kejriwal takes oath as seventh Delhi CM at Ramlila Maidan

The oath was administered by Lt Governor Najeeb Jung, Sisodia sworn in too

Arvind Kejriwal, who led the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to a spectacular victory in the assembly polls and ended the Congress's 15-year rule, took oath as Delhi's seventh Chief Minister on Saturday at historic Ram Lila Maidan, the venue of Anna Hazare's anti-corruption movement.

 

A Ramon Magsaysay Award winner, 45-year-old Kejriwal and six other AAP MLAs — Manish Sisodia, Rakhi Birla, Somnath Bharti, Saurabh Bhardwaj, Girish Soni and Satendra Jain —  were sworn-in as Cabinet ministers at a public ceremony at noon.

In his first speech as Delhi's youngest CM, Kejriwal remembers Santosh Koli, who died in a hit-and-run mishap. "Santosh Koli was martyred but Hindu religion says that the soul is immortal. The body dies, but the soul remains. Today, she will be happy at our victory."

Ministers	Portfolios
Arvind Kejriwal	Home, Power, Finance, Vigilance, Planning, Services
Manish Sisodia	PWD, Urban Development, Education, Higher Education, Local Bodies, Land & Building and Revenue departments
Rakhi Birla	Women & Child Development, Social Welfare, Languages
Saurabh Bhardwaj	Food Supply , Environment, Transport, Elections and Administrative department
Somnath Bharti	Tourism, Law, Administrative Reforms, Art & Culture
Satyendra Jain	Health, Industries, Gurudwara Elections
Girish Soni	Labour, Employment, Development, Skill Development, SC/ST departments
Source: BS/Press Trust of India

Kejriwal said: "I appeal with folded hands to all of us -- let us never become arrogant. I know that we have a huge responsibility today. Whether we succeed is not up to us, but we can ask God to guide us so we don't make mistakes ... I am sure if we will walk in the right path...and we will never make any mistakes." 

Making anti-corruption his main plank, the new CM asked people not to turn away officials asking bribes but to help in catching them red-handed by laying a trap.

On the confidence motion on the floor of Delhi Assembly, he said his party was not bothered about its fate as "we are not here to grab power".

 

"Whether we pass or fail in the test of confidence motion ... We are ready to face elections, if we fail. The people will vote us with a huge majority," he said to cheers from a huge crowd at the historic Ramlila Maidan.

 

The CM is likely to hold a meeting of his cabinet today and is expected to make certain announcements.

Hazare and his associate Kiran Bedi, who were invited to the function, kept away from it as did several political leaders including outgoing Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit.

 

BJP leader Harsh Vardhan, who would be the Leader of the Opposition in the new Assembly, was the lone prominent politician to be present.

The AAP leader took the Metro from Kaushambi Station as hundreds of people jostled with each other to board the train with him to reach the venue.
    
There was no place to stand in the Metro premises and people were falling over each other as Kejriwal arrived to board the train. The AAP convenor got off at Rajiv Chowk Metro Station from he took another metro to reach Ramlila Maidan.
    
Additional CISF security personnel and UP personnel were deployed at the station.

The AAP has promised to end the “VIP culture” in Delhi and said its ministers and MLAs would neither live in official bungalows nor accept official security.
    

Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung has directed Kejriwal to prove majority of his government on the floor of Delhi assembly by January 3.

 

The direction came after President Pranab Mukherjee conveyed to Jung that Kejriwal be asked to prove his majority on the floor of the House within seven days from the date on which he takes oath of office.

 

A session of the assembly is likely to be called from January 1.

Kejriwal, a mechanical engineer from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, had defeated three-time Chief Minister Dikshit in New Delhi constituency by a huge margin of over 25,000 votes.

 

The AAP convenor came into limelight from the Jan Lokpal agitation led by his one time mentor Hazare in 2011.

 

AAP has 28 seats while Congress with 8 has agreed to give it outside support. BJP is the single largest party with 31 seats in its kitty. The party had declined to form government citing lack of majority in the 70-member assembly.

 

Kejriwal is understood to have chosen senior IAS officer Rajendra Kumar as his principal secretary.

 

Like Kejriwal, 47-year-old Kumar, at present Higher Education Secretary, is an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur.

 

The AAP manifesto promises to bring down households electricity bills by half and to provide 700 litres free daily to every home with water connection in Delhi.