In a show of strength, Ashok Gehlot to take oath at Albert Hall

Swearing in ceremony of chief minister elect Ashok Gehlot and deputy CM elect Sachin Pilot will be held at the Albert Hall, a distinctive landmark of Jaipur, on Monday morning. 

The grand ceremony seems like a show strength of non-BJP parties whose leaders while showing a united opposition ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha elections will gather at the event. 

Nearly 2,000 VIP guests are expected to attend the function. Among the guests who have been invited to witness the ceremony are Congress president Rahul Gandhi, former prime minister Manmohan Singh, Leader of the Opposition in Parliament Mallikarjun Kharge among others. Apart from these a galaxy of Congress leaders including AK Antony, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Pudducherry chief minister Narayan Sammy, Rajeev Shukla, Anand Sharma, former Haryana CM Bhupendra Singh Hooda, Punjab CM Amrinder Singh will also grace the event. 

Others from the Opposition, who are expected to attend the ceremony include Janata Dal (Secular) chief and former prime minister HD Deve Gowda, Loktantrik Janata Dal leader Sharad Yadav, National Conference’s Farooq Abdullah, Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Rashtriya Janata Dal’s Tejashwi Yadav, DMK’s M K Stalin and Kanimozhi, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha’s Hemant Soren, Janata Vikas Morcha’s Babulal Marandi and All India United Democratic Front leader Badruddin Ajmal.

Oath-taking ceremonies are usually organised at the Raj Bhawan. However, the function in 2003 and 2013, when Vasundhara Raje took oath as chief minister, was held at Janpath outside the Rajasthan Assembly building. And this time, Albert Hall has been decided as the venue for the event. “There would be a large number of guests and leaders of various political parties will attend the ceremony. So, Albert Hall was finalised,” Satyendra Singh Raghav, the Pradesh Congress Committee spokesperson said. 

“The ceremony will be held in the open... Seating arrangements are being made to accommodate about 11,000 people,” an official of the public works department said.

NAIDU TO ATTEND

Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu is expected to attend Monday swearing-in of Ashok Gehlot and Kamal Nath as CMs of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, respectively, sources said.