Elaborate plans for oath-taking ceremony of Mann

SBS Nagar: 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 swearingin 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 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.