Bhagwant Mann to take oath as Punjab Chief Minister today at Bhagat Singh’s native village
Bhagwant Mann will be sworn-in as Punjab Chief Minister on Wednesday as elaborate arrangements were made for his oath-taking ceremony at Khatkar Kalan — ancestral village of legendary freedom fighter Bhagat Singh in Shaheed Bhagat Singh (SBS) Nagar district.
Mann will take oath alone on Wednesday, said AAP party sources. The Punjab cabinet can have 18 ministers including the chief minister.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and other senior party leaders will take part in the swearing-in ceremony.
The Aam Aadmi Party romped home winning 92 seats in the 117-member Punjab Assembly, decimating the Congress and the SAD-BSP combine. Officials are expecting over 3 lakh people to attend the event.
Mann, the Chief Minister-designate, had invited the people of the state to attend his oath-taking ceremony, saying it’s not he alone, but 3 crore people of Punjab will also take the oath with him.
He had also urged men to wear ‘basanti’ (yellow) colour turbans and women to wear basanti ‘dupatta’.
Officials said full-proof security arrangements have been made for the ceremony and several senior officials, including Inspector General and Senior Superintendent Police rank officers, have been deputed for the event.
Around 8,000 to 10,000 security personnel have been deployed for the event, said the officials.
The venue is spread over 50 acres of land with another 50 acres earmarked for parking of vehicles, said the officials.
Apart from the smooth movement of the traffic, major thrust shall be laid on ensuring that people coming to the function do not face any problem, said the officials.
The district administration has announced a school holiday on March 16 in view of huge gathering expected for the swearing-in ceremony.
Civil Surgeon Davinder Dhanda said services of health staff of adjoining 10 districts and nearly 30 ambulances would be deployed to meet any health emergencies. Twelve first-aid teams would also be there to provide emergency first-aid, he said.
Punjab Chief Secretary Anirudh Tiwari, director general of police VK Bhawra, and additional chief secretary to the CM A Venu Prasad had reviewed the arrangements on Monday.
The district police have released a route-plan for people who would be arriving from different parts of the state. Devotees who earlier used to reach Sri Anandpur Sahib for Holla Mohalla celebrations via Banga-Garhshankar route have now been asked to follow Phagwara-Mehitana-Garshankar route by the police in view of the event.