Arrangements being made at Ramlila Maidan for Thursday’s oath-taking ceremony, where several Union Ministers, senior bureaucrats, and industrialists will be in attendance.
| Photo Credit: ANI

First-time MLA Rekha Gupta will take oath as Delhi’s ninth Chief Minister on Thursday in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president J.P. Nadda, and Chief Ministers and Deputy CMs of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA)-ruled States, said sources.

Former Delhi CM Atishi, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal, Andhra Pradesh CM N. Chandrababu Naidu, and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat are among those invited to the swearing-in ceremony at Ramlila Maidan.

Invitations have also been extended to JJ cluster residents, gig workers, as well as taxi and autorickshaw drivers, said a BJP leader, adding that the Prime Minister, who is scheduled to reach the venue at 12.25 p.m., will be received by a group of JJ cluster residents.

Women beneficiaries of the welfare schemes in States governed by the BJP will also be present.

Lieutenant-Governor V.K. Saxena and senior Delhi bureaucrats including Chief Secretary Dharmendra, Union Ministers, industrialists, and national BJP leaders are scheduled to attend the event.

The oath-taking ceremony will conclude with the Delhi police band playing the national anthem.

Taking no chances

Over 25,000 Delhi police personnel and 15 companies of paramilitary forces will be deployed across central and north Delhi to maintain law and order and ensure the security of the visiting dignitaries, said a senior officer.

“Around 5,000 police and paramilitary personnel will be deployed in and around Ramlila Maidan. We have identified 2,500 strategic points where heavy deployment will be ensured,” the officer added.

The security arrangements near the venue include commandos, quick reaction teams and SWAT teams on the ground, and snipers atop nearby high-rises. The area will be secured through multiple layers of barricading and monitored through CCTV cameras with AI-based facial recognition systems.

The police have issued an advisory regarding diversions and restrictions around the Ramlila Maidan, given the heavy VVIP movement expected at around the venue throughout the day.