Rekha Gupta Sworn in as Delhi CM, BJP Begins New Chapter in Capital

Rekha Gupta, a first-time legislator from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Delhi on Thursday in a ceremony attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The event, held at Ramlila Maidan, saw the presence of key leaders from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena administered the oath of office to Gupta, who became the fourth woman to hold the position in the capital. She follows Sushma Swaraj (BJP), Sheila Dikshit (Congress), and Atishi (AAP) in leading Delhi’s government. With this appointment, Gupta is currently the only female Chief Minister among NDA-ruled states and the second in the country after Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal.

The BJP secured 48 out of 70 assembly seats in the recent Delhi elections, displacing the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) from power. The AAP, which had led the capital for three consecutive terms under Arvind Kejriwal, managed to win only 22 seats this time.

The swearing-in event was attended by senior BJP and NDA leaders, including Union Ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, and Dharmendra Pradhan. Chief Ministers and Deputy Chief Ministers from various NDA-ruled states, such as Maharashtra’s Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, also witnessed the proceedings.

Alongside Gupta, six ministers took their oaths as part of the new cabinet. The ministers sworn in include Parvesh Sahib Singh, Ashish Sood, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Ravinder Inderjit Singh, Kapil Mishra, and Pankaj Kumar Singh.

Ahead of her formal appointment, Gupta reaffirmed BJP’s commitment to fulfilling electoral promises. As part of the first phase of the Mahila Samvriddhi Yojana, she announced that eligible women in Delhi would receive Rs 2,500 per month in their bank accounts by March 8.

“It is our duty to implement every promise made during the campaign. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, the BJP government in Delhi will work towards empowering women through financial assistance,” Gupta stated.

During the election campaign, AAP had pledged Rs 2,100 per month for women, while BJP promised Rs 2,500, a key factor in voter decisions. Other commitments made by the BJP include a Rs 21,000 grant for pregnant women, a Rs 500 subsidy on LPG cylinders, and an additional free cylinder during Holi and Diwali.