VK Saxena takes oath as Delhi LG

New Delhi: Vinai Kumar Saxena took oath as the 22nd Lt Governor of Delhi at a ceremony at the Raj Niwas here on Thursday and said he would work as the city's local guardian and not as lieutenant governor. Saxena (64), was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Acting Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court Vipin Sanghi. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his Cabinet colleagues, Union minister Giriraj Singh, Delhi MPs and MLAs, and top bureaucrats of the city government attended the ceremony BJP MP and former Union minister Harsh Vardhan left the swearing-in ceremony , expressing unhappiness over seating arrangement for the dignitaries.

Vardhan was seen leaving the venue, saying "I will write to Vinai Kumar Saxena ji that this is the arrangement," in a video that went viral on social media. "They have not provided any seat for even Parliament Members," he was heard saying when asked what had happened. Saxena who addressed the media persons after taking oath as the 22nd Lt Governor of Delhi, did not comment when asked about Vardhan leaving the swearing-in ceremony. Vardhan who is a former Union Health Minister and represents the Chandni Chowk Lok Sabha constituency was not immediately available for his comments. All the Members of Parliament from Delhi including seven Lok Sabha MPs of BJP were invited in the ceremony. North East Delhi MP Manoj Tiwari and West Delhi MP Parvesh Verma were seen sitting in back rows of sofas for dignitaries. No reaction was immediately available from the LG office over the issue. Union ministers Giriraj Singh and Meenakshi Lekhi were also present in the ceremony.