Thu Feb 20 21:22:22 UTC 2025: **BJP’s Rekha Gupta Sworn in as Delhi’s Fourth Woman Chief Minister**

NEW DELHI — In a historic event held at Ramlila Ground on Thursday, Rekha Gupta, a first-time BJP MLA from Shalimar Bagh, was sworn in as Delhi’s fourth woman chief minister. The BJP’s victory marks their return to power in Delhi after a 27-year hiatus, securing a commanding 48 seats in the 70-member assembly.

Six other BJP MLAs — Parvesh Verma, Ashish Sood, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Raviraj Indraj Singh, Kapil Mishra, and Pankaj Kumar Singh — were also sworn in as ministers. The new cabinet immediately approved the implementation of the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme with a ₹5 lakh top-up and plans to table 14 CAG reports, previously withheld, in the first assembly session.

Chief Minister Gupta announced that the first installment of ₹2,500 under the Mahila Samridhi Yojana, a monthly income support scheme for women, will be deposited into beneficiaries’ bank accounts by March 8th, 2025. This promise was met with immediate demands from the opposition AAP to ensure its swift implementation. Former Delhi CM Atishi urged the BJP government to fulfill this pledge without delay.

The new cabinet’s portfolio allocations were announced later in the evening. Chief Minister Gupta retained key portfolios, while Parvesh Verma was assigned PWD, Legislative Affairs, water, and irrigation. Newly appointed minister Pankaj Singh, allocated health, transport, and IT, spoke emotionally about his late mother’s absence from the ceremony.

The swearing-in ceremony was attended by numerous dignitaries, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union ministers Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh, and several chief ministers from other states. The event was marked by celebrations and expressions of hope for a new era of governance in Delhi. However, concerns were raised regarding the criminal records of some of the newly appointed ministers, with five out of seven declaring criminal cases against themselves, according to the Association for Democratic Reforms. Despite these concerns, the BJP leadership expressed confidence in the new government’s ability to deliver on its promises. The day concluded with the Chief Minister and her cabinet ministers attending a Yamuna Aarti, reflecting a commitment to cleaning the polluted river.

Read More