Arvind Kejriwal invites PM Narendra Modi for oath-taking ceremony at Delhi's Ramlila Ground

India Feb 14, 2020 0 1456 Add to Reading List

Kejriwal, who spearheaded the party's landslide victory in the Delhi Assembly polls, will take oath as the Chief Minister for the third consecutive time in a grand public ceremony.

New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party supremo Arvind Kejriwal has invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his swearing-in ceremony which will take place at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan on February 16. Kejriwal, who spearheaded the party's landslide victory in the Delhi Assembly polls, will take oath as the Chief Minister for the third consecutive time in a grand public ceremony, amid indications all the incumbent ministers will be retained in the seven-member cabinet.

Earlier, AAP's Delhi unit convener Gopal Rai had told PTI that no Chief Minister or political leaders from other states would be a part of the function, as the party does not want to send out a message that it is 'confrontationist against the central government, sources said.

"In 2013 and 2015 as well, no political leaders and chief ministers from other states had been invited for Kejriwal's oath ceremony. Party wants to keep the upcoming February 16 event Delhi-specific," he said.

All the seven BJP MPs of Delhi and newly-elected party MLAs are likely to be invited for the oath-taking ceremony due to protocol issues, another AAP leader said, adding that the ceremony would be a government event that will be open to the public.

The AAP has planned mobilisation of people for the mega event and all the newly-elected MLAs of the party have been asked to ensure huge participation from their constituencies.

Kejriwal's new cabinet is unlikely to have fresh faces as he is expected to retain all the six incumbent ministers. The sources said portfolios of all the seven ministers are likely to remain the same as they were holding in the outgoing cabinet. Apart from Kejriwal and Sisodia, other members in the outgoing cabinet are Satyendar Jain, Gopal Rai, Rajendra Pal Gautam, Imran Hussain and Kailash Gahlot.

The AAP returned to power winning 62 of the 70 assembly seats in the Delhi election held on February 8. While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has won eight seats, the Congress drew a blank.