Arvind Kejriwal asked to prove majority by January 3

Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung has directed Aam Aadmi Party leader and chief minister-designate Arvind Kejriwal to prove majority of his government on the floor of Delhi assembly by January 3.

The direction came after President Pranab Mukherjee conveyed to Lt Governor Jung that Kejriwal be asked to prove his majority on the floor of the House within seven days from the date on which he takes oath of office.

 Kejriwal will take oath on Saturday along with six other AAP MLAs who will be part of the cabinet.

Sources said a session of the assembly is likely to be called from January 1.

"The President has directed that Kejriwal may be asked to prove his majority on the floor of the House within seven days from the date on which he takes oath of office," senior officials in Delhi government said.

They said the President has appointed Kejriwal as the chief minister of the National Capital Territory of Delhi with effect from the date he is sworn in.

The AAP has 28 seats while the Congress with eight has agreed to give it outside support. The Bharatiya Janata Party is the single largest party with 31 seats in its kitty. The party had declined to form a government citing lack of majority in the 70-member assembly.

The date for the swearing-in ceremony was finalised at a meeting Kejriwal held with the Delhi Chief Secretary D M Spolia. The cabinet ministers to take oath along with  Kejriwal are Manish Sisodia, Rakhi Birla, Somnath Bharti, Saurabh Bhardwaj, Girish Soni and Satendra Jain.

Image: A wall clock carrying a portrait of Arvind Kejriwal inside the Aam Aadmi Party office in New Delhi

Photograph: Mansi Thapliyal/Reuters