NEW DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has set February 16 as the date for the swearing-in of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his new cabinet. The function will be held on the Ram Leela ground. The iconic ground was also the venue for the anti-corruption crusade under the stewardship of Anna Hazare seven years ago, which resulted in the birth of the party.
Kejriwal, on Wednesday, met all the newly elected MLAs at his residence and was promptly elected the leader of the legislative party. According to party officials, all outgoing ministers are set to get fresh terms in the cabinet. However, their portfolios would be decided after the oath-taking ceremony.
"The swearing-in ceremony will be held at 10 am on Sunday. We’re calling on the people to come and bless their son and brother Arvind Kejriwal and pledge to make Delhi better," senior AAP leader and Patparganj MLA Manish Sisodia said. A party official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the date for the swearing-in was set on the 16th as the party did not want the event to coincide with the first anniversary of the Pulwama terror attack, which is on February 14.
Teams of 10-12 party workers have been put together in each ward to mobilise people to Ram Leela. "This is a historic mandate for the AAP. The voters are shown that they are pro-development and pro-work. They believed that our government worked sincerely to make the city better. It is now proven that Kejriwal’s model of governance and development will take the country forward. Deshbhakti (patriotism) is about providing good education and healthcare, as well as making the city safer for women," said Sisodia, who regained his seat after trailing initially.
Another party official said that while senior leaders are deliberating on the guest list for the event, nothing has been finalised as yet. Meanwhile, party sources informed that as many as 11 lakh people have joined the AAP’s Rashtra Nirman (nation building) campaign just 24 hours since launch.
The party had opened a toll-free number through which people can join the campaign. The ruling party returned to the hustings for another five years after handing a drubbing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The AAP's development pitch scored over the BJP's, which was tailored around the Shaheen Bagh protests and opposition to the Citizenship Amendment Act.