AP Singh:
DELHI (TIP): Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal was sworn in as the 7th Chief Minister of Delhi at a simple ceremony at Ram Lila Maidan here on December 28. At 45, he is the youngest ever Chief Minister of Delhi. The oath of office was administered by Najeeb Jang, the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi. Six ministers in Kejriwal’s cabinet also took oath of office. They are Manish Sisodia, Rakhi Birla, Saurabh Bhardwaj, Satyendra Jain, Girish Soni, and Somnath Bharti. The oath taking ceremony in the iconic sprawling Ram Lila Maidan, in keeping with the wishes of Arvind Kejriwal, was kept a simple affair.

In a revolutionary departure from the past practice, there were no VVIP enclosures. However, it turned out to be the most largely attended oath taking ceremony where hundreds of thousands of stake holders in the governance of Delhi milled around to witness the historic event. Each present felt he was a part of the people’s government. Such has been the magic of Arvind Kejriwal’s style of working and treating people. Kejriwal has repeatedly said it is the people who are the masters. Government is there only to serve them. Earlier, Kejriwal and his colleagues nominated to cabinet boarded Metro from the Kaushambi metro station at 10.30 AM and proceed for the swearing in ceremony at the Ramlila Maidan.

AAP supporters gather at Ramlila Maidan.

They arrived at Ram Lila Maidan a little before 12, accompanied by a large number of party workers who shouted slogans, like Kejriwal Zindabad. The enthusiasm of the aam aadmi was seen to be believed. They were celebrating the historic event of the passage of power in to their own hands. Many in the crowds were visibly moved and had tears in their eyes. Kejriwal heads a minority government, with a total of 28 legislators in a house of 70.