New Delhi : Aam Aadmi Party national convener Arvind Kejriwal is the first and the only Chief Minister of Delhi who has preferred the historic Ramlila Maidan for his oath ceremonies, while his predecessors took oath in the Raj Niwas.
The venue in the national capital is indeed close to Kejriwal’s heart as it was from this place that Kejriwal joined Anna Hazare’s India Against Corruption movement in 2011.
The movement later became Kejriwal’s gateway to politics in 2012.
The city went for polls in 2013, and Kejriwal became the Chief Minister of Delhi with the help of the Congress. He took the oath for the first time on December 28, 2013 in the Ramlila Maidan.
However, after 49 days in office Kejriwal resigned on February 14, 2014, the City again went for polls in 2015 and from the same venue a year later on February 14, 2015, he took oath for the second time as the Chief Minister of Delhi.
After completing the term in office, Kejriwal has been again elected as the Delhi Chief Minister for the third time and will be taking the oath from the same venue.
Apart from Kejriwal and Aam Aadmi Party, the venue has witnessed the presence of prominent personalities and historical events.
As the name says, the ground had been famous for the Ramlila plays — the dramatic folk re-enactment of the life of Lord Ram.
However, it has also hosted numerous historic speeches in the past, including the one by the Queen of the England, Elizabeth II, who addressed from here in 1961, along with the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
Playback singer Lata Mangeshkar has performed here after the Indo-China war. Lal Bahadur Shastri gave his slogan “Jai Jawan Jai Kisan” from this venue.
During the infamous Emergency, the ground witnessed several protests.
On the reason for selecting the venue, an AAP leader said: “The common man of the city is our backbone. They are our strength. It is important for us to involve the people of the city in our crucial moments. So, we need big space for the swearing-in and so the Ramlila ground is the best.”
