7.02 pm: Doesn't make a difference who becomes the Speaker, says Kejriwal in press conference
After winning the confidence vote, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, in his trademark style, congratulated Delhi's common man. "It is not our victory. It is your victory. This is the victory of honesty and truth," he said.
He then went on to renew his oath-taking pitch, saying that there is a big challenge ahead - a challenge that the government with its seven ministers alone, or 70 MLAs in the Parliament can't face.
"It is a challenge that we have to undertake together. We have to make sure that there is no corruption in the city. I assure you that be it the MCD, be it the former Delhi government, be it our government, no minister guilty of corruption will be spared."
He added that AAP MLAs had gone and met several pavement dwellers and heard their woes. "These people have nothing. They are not even vote banks - they don't have the right to vote. So, we announced porta cabins for them. Immediately after, some NGOs, rotary clubs called up and said that they wanted to pay for the setting up of some porta cabins. This is how we want to include the society for its own good," said Kejriwal.
He added that the AAP's next most important agenda will be to pass the Janlokpal Bill for Delhi.
He also said that he was not worried about who will be elected as the Speaker in the House.
6.30 pm: Kejriwal wins trust vote
Along with 28 AAP members, eight Congress MLAs, one independent and one JD(U) legislator voted in favour of the AAP government. The AAP got 38 votes while the BJP votes numbered 32. A total of 36 votes are required to get majority in the 70-member Delhi Assembly.
6.00 pm: Kejriwal seeks positive result of trust vote for common man
Addressing the Delhi Assembly before seeking the trust vote, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal made it clear that his intention was to work for the common people and the motion of confidence if passed favourably will help the ordinary citizen living in the national capital.
"AAP believes that all people who needs an honest system are common man no matter wherever they stay -- Greater Kailash or Sangan Vihar. People who are dishonest either rich are poor are the special ones. I haven't stood here to save the government or make a government. I never thought that I will form a political party and fight elections. I am just a common man with no standing. A common man in India wants that his children get good education, safety for his family and a good judiciary. Crores and crores have been spent for development but where is the development and where is the money? A common man wants to lknow that. Sadly, politics has been corpotarised in India today.
"Two years back the country's common man just wanted that the corrupt should face the law and go behind bars. But the political leaders by dint of muscle and money power challeneged that the common man to get themselves elected and make their own law. Our fight is to end corruption and we are here today. Our fight looked impossible and victory was a distant dream. For us 28 in the Delhi assembly, God in whatever form he is, is with us. Today's question is who are the members who are with the aam aadmi.
"Is a common man's time not valuable like a minister's? I have waited in red signals and lost no time in the last five-six days. Why does a political leader needs security? The day God decides that you should not get anymore security, no amount of bodyguards will be able to save you.
"Yes, I agree with Dr Harsh Vardhan that Delhi has a Lokayukta law. But that is very weak. We need to have a stronger one. What is the point in laying and relaying footpaths? There is no dearth of money. People should rather have streetlights for the safety of women.
"In case of free water, if a section is benefitted to start with what is the harm? Has a good thing not been done?
"Delhi should be a full-fledged state and I believe the Congress and BJP also have it in their manifesto. There are complaints that the electric meters run really fast. This should be checked into. There should also be an audit of the distribution firms and we all must sit together and fix the power tariff.
"We need to look into unauthorised colonies as these are devoid of basic facilities. These facilities should be given until a permanent solution is found. Same stands for illegal shanties.
"The contractors are also a tormented lot as their PFs are cut but not deposited into thier accounts. This must stop.
"Regarding FDI in retail we oppose it. Even the BJP opposes it. And why does the government look upon the business community as thieves? 99 percent of them are honest and they are ready to pay tax. Why should the government keep chasing them always and not not allow them to commit themselves into their business?
"The quality of education is really bad in the government schools in Delhi. The system of donation in the private schools must stop and the number of government schools must be increased.
"There should be a special team for the safety of women. Our legal system should be such that the perpetrators who commit crimes against women are behind bars within six months.
"I appeal to you all to pass the motion favourably if you are with the common man."
5.41 pm: Voting begins on AAP in Delhi Assembly
The Delhi Assembly has begun it trust vote of the AAP government. While the Congress said it would vote in support of the AAP, the BJP said it will oppose.
4.17 pm: AAP will win trust vote, says Anna Hazare
Anti-graft activist Anna Hazare has expressed his confidence over AAP winning the trust vote in Delhi.
Zee News reported him as saying, "I am confident that theArvind Kejriwal-led AAP Government will win the trust vote. If the Congress withdraws support, it will send a wrong message."
3:20 pm: Water scheme will make water costlier for Delhi, says Lovely
The Congress may have backed the AAP for the confidence vote but it doesn't mean they won't criticise them.
"You water scheme instead of making things cheaper for the poor will instead make it costlier," Lovely said.
He also claimed that the AAP's waiver on power charges was no different from what the Congress had done when it was in power.
3:10 pm: Congress's Arvinder Singh Lovely backs AAP, says BJP will always remain in opposition
Congress's Arvinder Singh Lovely said that the Congress will back the AAP government because it has promised to fight against corruption.
He also took the opportunity to mock the BJP and said that despite various claims they were never able to come to power in the national capital.
"We have been hearing that you will form the government for years now but you are still in the opposition," he said.
The Congress leader said that they had backed the AAP only because they believed the party had received the mandate of the people and they didn't want the people of Delhi to go through another election.
3:00 pm: BJP says it will not back AAP in confidence vote
After criticism of the AAP and its policies, Harsh Vardhan concluded that the BJP would definitely not back the AAP in its confidence vote.
"We have decided we cannot support such a government," Harsh Vardhan said.
2:50 pm:Have you been getting foreign funding, Harsh Vardhan asks Kejriwal
Harsh Vardhan's not saying anything new but he's still going after the AAP.
The BJP's chief ministerial candidate raised questions over foreign funding that the NGOs run by Kejriwal and Sisodia might have received.
"The Delhi government talks of probing allegations against others but will it probe these allegations against its own leaders," he said.
He also raised questions over the functioning of the AAP's flagship water scheme in the capital.
He did a basic calculation of how much water would be used in a Delhi home and said,"The situation will soon arise that people would prefer to use their friend's toilets in order to prevent over shooting their household water limit."
"If you really wanted to spare Delhi residents the burden then why have you raised water tariffs?" the BJP leader said.
2:35 pm: BJP takes umbrage to AAP's interruption
Manish Sisodia objected to a point on Kashmir made by Harsh Vardhan and was promptly shouted down by the BJP MLAs. Kejriwal has remained silent and despite Sisodia's apology there is no calm in the Assembly. After a brief interruption, Harsh Vardhan continued.
2:20 pm: BJP attacks AAP for taking Congress support
Manish Sisodia has moved the confidence motion in the Delhi Assembly but not before speaking about how they plan to take care of various groups, including farmers in Delhi.
He also gave a brief list of what the party planned to achieve during its term in power.
BJP's Harsh Vardhan started by congratulating the AAP on its victory and spoke about how the Congress had failed to achieve anything in the Delhi elections.
But then he attacked the AAP Chief Minister saying that he had initially slammed the Congress but now was taking their support to form the government.
"Kejriwal has joined hands with those whom he earlier promised to send behind bars," he said.
"It's strange that the party that got maximum votes is sitiing in the opposition," he said.
He also attacks the AAP chief minister for not taking any personal security and pointed out that despite Kejriwal resorting to taking public transport, the number of police personnel who had to guard him hadn't reduced.
"It is not a very great thing to travel by the metro," Harsh Vardhan said.
2:00 pm: Delhi Assembly in disarray as proceedings begin
The BJP's MLAs are currently on their feet in the Assembly and are disrupting proceedings on the grounds that AAP legislators were wearing the party caps into the Delhi Assembly.
Calm was finally restored and AAP's Manish Sisodia is on his feet and is listing why the party came to power and what they have promised the people.
1:45 pm: Delhi confidence vote only at 5 pm
The confidence vote will now take place at 5 pm, reports CNN-IBN.
1:15 pm: We promised ourselves no toilet humour but...
Arvind Kejriwal to face confidence motion today. After two-three days of no confidence in his motion.
— Ramesh Srivats (@rameshsrivats) January 2, 2014
1:00 pm: We have no fear, says Kejriwal
Perhaps an hour ahead of the crucial confidence vote, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has said that the party isn't worried about the confidence vote in the Delhi Assembly.
"We have the people's faith, we have no fear," Kejriwal said before he left for the Delhi Assembly.
10:45 am: BJP endorses Jagdish Mukhi for speaker's post
After initially refusing to take up the post of the Speaker in the Delhi Assembly, the BJP has finally endorsed one of its own to file his nomination for the post.
Jagdish Mukhi, who has served as the leader of the Opposition, had earlier refused the post of pro-tem speaker when offered it by the Lieutenant Governor.
However, he today said that the BJP has endorsed his candidature for the post of Speaker and has filed his nomination papers. Does this mean the BJP is finally reconciled to a long term of the AAP government?
9:30 am: Kejriwal to face crucial vote of confidence in Delhi Assembly today
Kejriwal may have started his term as chief minister with major announcements concerning water and power, but today will decide how much longer his term will last.
Delhi's chief minister and his government will face a crucial vote of confidence in the Delhi Assembly today and is largely expected to sail through thanks to support from the Congress.
The AAP has 28 MLAs and is expected to be backed by the 8 MLAs of the Congress, the lone Janata Dal (United) and independent MLA Rambir Shokeen.
While the AAP isn't banking on the backing of the Congress, the latter has said that it will be backing its rival to remain the party in power.
Will Kejriwal get the backing he needs in the Delhi Assembly? PTI
"The Congress MLAs will support the confidence motion to be moved by the AAP government and this support extends to the election of the speaker also," Shakeel Ahmed, who is charge of the Congress in Delhi, told the Hindustan Times.
Another Congress leader said that no dissidence would be tolerated and they would even issue a whip if required to all MLAs to ensure they toed the party's line.
The Assembly session is expected to start at 2 pm and the vote, which is expected to be a voice vote, will be conducted any time between 2 pm and 6 pm.
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