Kejriwal sworn in as New Delhi chief minister
Arvind Kejriwal, the leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), has taken the oath as the chief minister of India’s capital city of New Delhi.
The swearing-in ceremony took place at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan on Saturday in front of thousands of supporters of the AAP, which won 67 out of the 70 seats in the February 7 elections of the city’s state assembly.
During the open-air ceremony, Manish Sisodia, Kejriwal’s associate, was also sworn in as deputy chief minister along with five other ministers.
In an address to the crowd, Kejriwal vowed to tackle graft in Delhi and end its "VIP culture".
“I will make Delhi corruption-free within five years. If somebody asks for a bribe, don't say no. Just take your mobile out of your pocket and record it on your phone. You then come and give it to me. We will take the toughest action against the offenders," he said.
In 2013, the 46-year-old former civil servant was also sworn in as Delhi’s chief minister, but he resigned after 49 days in a row over an anti-corruption bill.
An estimated 67-percent turnout was recorded at Delhi’s 70-seat legislative assembly elections, which was widely considered as a test of the popularity of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came second in the polls with only three seats.
In May 2014, the BJP won 274 seats in the 543-seat lower house of parliament, the Lok Sabha. However, the ruling party lacks a majority in the Asian country’s upper house.
The Indian premier needs to win most of the state elections over the next four years in order to gain control of both houses of parliament, where he is attempting to push through reforms to revive the country’s economy.
SSM/NN/HRB
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