First-time MLA Rekha Gupta was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Delhi on Thursday, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and NDA Chief Ministers present at a grand display of unity at the famous Ramlila Maidan.
Gupta, beaming and dressed in a jacket over a red saree that echoed the style of BJP veteran Sushma Swaraj, took the oath from Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena as ‘Jai Shri Ram’ cheers rang out from the crowd of 30,000.
Alongside Gupta, six additional MLAs, such as Parvesh Verma, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, and Kapil Mishra, were sworn in as Cabinet ministers. Ashish Sood, Pankaj Kumar Singh, and Ravinder Indraj Singh were also inaugurated as ministers in the government established by the BJP after 27 years.
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Although the portfolios have not been assigned yet, the Cabinet appointments suggest that the BJP is effectively balancing caste equations.
Though Manjinder Singh Sirsa belongs to the Sikh community, Parvesh Verma is a prominent Jat leader. Kapil Mishra represents the Brahmin identity of the BJP, Ashish Sood hails from the Punjabi Khatri background, and Ravinder Singh is a leader from the Dalit community.
Pankaj Kumar Singh, a dentist by profession and first-time MLA from Vikaspuri, is a familiar figure within the Purvanchali community, which this time transitioned from the AAP to vote en masse for the BJP.
BJP stalwart and three-time Rohini MLA Vijender Gupta, a winner in 2015 and 2020 during the Arvind Kejriwal surge, will serve as the Assembly Speaker, with Mohan Bisht as his deputy.
