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Arvind Kejriwal will today take charge of Delhi as its Chief Minister in a meteoric rise to power after breaking away from anti-graft crusader Anna Hazare and launching Aam Aadmi Party a year ago with a pledge to clean up politics.
45-year-old Kejriwal, a Magsaysay award winner who quit Indian Revenue Services to fight graft and shot into limelight as an RTI activist and later with Jan Lokpal bill agitation, will take oath as Delhi's youngest Chief Minister along with six of his ministerial colleagues at a public function at the historic Ramlila Maidan which is expected to be attended by a large crowd.
After leading his party to a phenomenal success in the assembly polls, Kejriwal now faces the immediate challenge of fulfilling a number of key promises like the passage of Delhi Jan Lokpal Bill, cutting power tariff by 50% and supplying 700 litres of free water to each household in the city.
He will be facing enormous public expectations as he had capitalised on the disillusionment of various sections of citizens -- be it autorickshaw driver, residents of slum clusters or middle class families -- with mainstream political parties.
Kejriwal is expected hold a meeting of his cabinet immediately after the oath taking ceremony and is likely to make certain announcements.
The AAP government, with outside support from the Congress, is likely to have little over two months' time to deliver on its immediate priorities as model code of conduct for the Lok Sabha polls is set to come into force in March.
Meanwhile, the security was beefed up at the Kausambi Metro Station from where Kejriwal is to take the metro to Ramlila Maidan to take the oath as the Delhi Chief Minister.
Additional security personnel from CISF have been deployed at the station. Besides, Uttar Pradesh Police personnel have also been deployed around the Kausambi Metro Station. "Security has been beefed up at the station. We are maintaining a high vigil ahead of Kejriwal's visit," said an official of CISF, who didn't want to be named.
CISF officials said that some of its personnel will also travel in the same coach as Kejriwal to guard him.
Kejriwal will get off the train at Rajiv Chowk Metro station from where he will take the Barakambha-bound metro.
After refusing to take support from either the Congress or BJP earlier, AAP on Monday had staked claim to form the government in Delhi after results of its 'referendum' overwhelmingly favoured it to take the reins of power.
