New Delhi, (IANS): Rekha Gupta, 50, the first-time MLA from Shalimar Bagh, on February 20, took oath as the Delhi Chief Minister at the grand swearing-in ceremony at the city’s Ramlila Maidan. The ceremony which marked the return of BJP to power after a gap of 27 years, saw the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh along with many Chief Ministers from BJP-ruled states.
As the national Capital got its fourth woman Chief Minister, this also marked a show of strength for the NDA alliance as they all reached Delhi for participating in the ceremony.
Rekha Gupta will be the fourth woman Chief Minister of Delhi after Sushma Swaraj (BJP), Sheila Dikshit (Congress) and Atishi (AAP).
She is also the fourth BJP chief minister in the capital, after Madan Lal Khurana, Sahib Singh Verma and Sushma Swaraj.
Earlier, Rekha Gupta was invited by Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena to form the new government as she staked claim for government formation on February 19 evening. She won the Shalimar Bagh seat, defeating AAP’s Bandana Kumari by over 29,000 votes in the Assembly elections.
Rekha Gupta's Council of Ministers also took oath of office at Ramlila Maidan and will soon be assigned portfolios. They include Parvesh Singh Verma, Ashish Sood, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Ravinder Indraj, Kapil Mishra and Pankaj Kumar Singh.
The newly sworn-in Cabinet boasts of Jat as well as Sikh faces and has members from the Punjabi, Purvanchali and SC community.
Parvesh Singh Verma: The two-time BJP MP became a giant slayer as he trounced AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal from New Delhi constituency. He is a prominent Jat leader of the party and the son of former Delhi CM Sahib Singh Verma.
Manjinder Singh Sirsa: He is one of the leading Sikh faces of the BJP in the national Capital. In the past few years, he has been articulate and vociferous in putting forth the party’s views on issues related to the Sikh community. He won the 2025 Delhi Assembly elections from Rajouri Garden. Prior to his stint with BJP, he was associated with Shiromani Akali Dal.
Kapil Mishra: He is one of the firebrand leaders who defeated his rival by a significant margin from the Karawal Nagar constituency. He is the son of Annapurna Mishra, former East Delhi Mayor. He joined the BJP in 2019 after snapping ties with Kejriwal-led AAP. He also served as minister in the Kejriwal government. Kapil Mishra shot to fame during the anti-CAA protests in 2020.
Ashish Sood: A first time MLA from Janakpuri is the vice-president of the BJP’s Delhi unit. In his previous role, he served as the party’s incharge for Goa as well as Jammu and Kashmir. Sood, a known Punjabi face in the city defeated Praveen Kumar of the AAP in Janakpuri constituency.
Pankaj Kumar Singh: A Purvanchali leader and dentist by profession, he is also the first-time MLA from Vikaspuri constituency. His elevation to the Cabinet rank assumes significance as the BJP went the whole hog in wooing Purvanchalis, the migrant population from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh which enjoy considerable clout in the national Capital, in terms of votes.
Ravinder Indraj Singh: He is the party’s Dalit leader and also served as executive member of the BJP's Scheduled Caste Morcha. He won the Bawana (SC) seat by more than 31,000 votes.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who attended the oath ceremony, greeted Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and her team of six Ministers after they took the oath, saying this team beautifully mixes vigour and experience, and will surely ensure good governance for Delhi. He said he was confident that she would work for Delhi's development.
Union Ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nirmala Sitharaman and Dharmendra Pradhan were among the top BJP leaders who congratulated the Delhi CM Rekha Gupta.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his Haryana and Rajasthan counterparts Nayab Singh Saini and Bhajanlal Sharma also congratulated Rekha Gupta on becoming the Delhi CM.
Delhi’s new Chief Minister Rekha Gupta hit the ground running on her first day in office as she assumed charge within hours of taking oath. The first Cabinet meeting of the new Delhi government approved a 100-day plan, decided to clean the Yamuna and develop the riverfront, gave a nod to table pending CAG reports in the Assembly and gave its approval for the introduction of Central-government funded Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) that offers a health cover to each family.
