Parineeti Chopra and Raghav Chadha at their engagement ceremony. Twitterphoto

It was a hot Saturday afternoon, yet the normally somnolent Kapurthala House – once the sprawling Delhi home of Kapurthala's Maharaja Paramjit Singh and now the official residence of Punjab's Governor and Chief Minister whenever they're in Delhi – was a beehive of activity.

Raghav Chadha's political mentor, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, took to social media to post pictures of his young associate and Rajya Sabha MP with his fiancee Parineeti Chopra from their engagement ceremony that took place on Saturday evening at Kapurthala House in New Delhi.

Kejriwal, dressed very much like an 'aam aadmi' in a canary yellow bush shirt and black plain trousers, was seen lovingly hugging Chadha, being greeted by Parineeti's sister, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, and being photographed along with members of the two families.

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Photographers and videographers jostled for the right angles, shouted out requests to the arriving guests to pose for pictures and excitedly exchanging names, workmen walked in with last-minute deliverables, the evening's granthi sauntered in, and Bollywood favourite designer Manish Malhotra darted in and out with Parineeti's dress for the occasion before returning to formally join the party.

Priyanka Chopra arrives at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi on Saturday. Screengrab

For the paparazzi who were waiting for a rush of Bollywood and political celebrities, the action started only after the evening descended on this quieter part of Lutyens's Delhi just across the road from the Taj Mahal Hotel. Earlier in the evening, the two families did keep it a low-key affair meant for loved ones and close friends.

Priyanka, who was with her sister at The Lodhi hotel after flying in from Mumbai in the morning, zipped in, flashing a victory sign from her car.

Just like any other sister, Priyanka said that she cannot wait for her sister Parineeti's wedding as she posted some unseen pictures from the latter's engagement with Raghav Chadha.

Priyanka took to Instagram, where she shared a couple of family pictures, which also features her brother Siddharth Chopra and a picture from the engagement, which has Parineeti and her fiance Raghav.

Expressing her excitement, Priyanka wrote: "Congratulations Tisha and Raghav... Cannot wait for the wedding! So happy for you both and the families so fun to catch up with the fam!"

Before she arrived, Chadha's seniors in the Rajya Sabha, both representing West Bengal in the Upper House – ace Supreme Court advocate and Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi with wife, ghazal and Sufi singer Anita Singhvi, and Derek O'Brien, also with wife, Dr Tonuca Basu – walked in and happily posed for the photographers. Singhvi even showed the paper bag in which he was carrying a gift for a couple.

Then came the political bigwigs – Punjab Chief MInister Bhagwant Mann flaunting his trademark yellow turban and ever-ready smile, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal with his wife, Sunita Kejriwal, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and Uddhav Thackeray's son, Aditya Thackeray, and former finance minister and Congress Rajya Sabha MP, P. Chidambaram, straight off his television appearances post the party's victory in Karnataka.

On a day when the Karnataka election results were consuming the mindspace of the nation, these politicians were taking a well-deserved break, though, without doubt, their conversation must all have been about the changing political narrative.

Indo-Asian News Service