Twelve days after the results of the Delhi assembly polls were declared, the historic Ramlila Maidan witnessed the swearing-in ceremony of Bharatiya Janata Party’s new chief minister, Rekha Gupta, and six cabinet ministers. For the BJP, it was an equally historic moment as it returned to power in Delhi after 27 years.
Dressed in a red saree, with a tilak adorning her forehead, Rekha Gupta was sworn in as the fourth woman chief minister of Delhi. The former Delhi University Students Union president will be the second woman chief minister in the country after Mamata Banerjee.
If her elevation to the top post has sent a message that the BJP has thanked the women voters who were siding with the party, to power its governments in several states, the cabinet picks also signalled that the BJP has balanced caste and regional considerations. The party not only rewarded its leaders who had spent years in building the party in the national capital, but also initiated a generational change within the organisation as new faces have been brought in.
First-time MLA, Gupta, began her political journey through the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), RSS’ students' wing, at Daulat Ram College, Delhi University, in 1992.
She became the president of the Delhi University Students' Union (DUSU) in 1996-97, where she actively raised student issues. It is also the first time that a DUSU president has become the chief minister, while the earlier Delhi University presidents have gone to become union cabinet ministers.
The other cabinet ministers sworn in were Parvesh Singh Verma, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Kapil Mishra, Ashish Sood and Pankaj Singh. Barring Kapil Mishra, who served as a minister in the AAP government, all are first-time ministers.
Verma belongs to the Jaat community and is the son of former CM Sahib Singh Verma. The community is spread in the states of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.
Sirsa is the Sikh face of the BJP in the national capital. He was earlier with the Akali Dal and was serving as national secretary in the BJP. Sirsa has also served as the president of the Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee and emerged as a link between Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s outreach to the Sikh community. He is likely to be used by the party when it goes wooing the community in Punjab where polls are scheduled in two years.
Interestingly, Rekha Gupta, Parvesh Verma and Sirsa have roots in neighbouring Haryana.
The party has also rewarded Ashish Sood, who has served as in-charge of Goa’s BJP unit and co-incharge of Jammu & Kashmir party unit. He belongs to the Punjabi community and is known for his organisational skills. Like CM Rekha Gupta, he has also served as a councillor of the Delhi Municipal Corporation.
Also read
- Can CM Rekha Gupta's upcoming EV policy save Delhi from toxic air?
- Can air purifiers in classrooms solve Delhi's student health crisis? 10,000 classrooms to get device in first phase
- Delhi air pollution: Smog chokes NCR as govt says no direct lung disease link
- Delhi pollution: Shocking report shows police inaction after BS-VI entry rule, despite 'Severe' air quality
Ravinder Indraj Singh is the Dalit face in the cabinet. Kapil Mishra, who won the polls from Karawal Nagar seat, has made to the cabinet. Known for strong Hindutva views and statements, Mishra’s promotion to the Delhi cabinet signals that the party has kept the sentiment of its hardcore supporters in mind.
As Bihar polls are scheduled to be held in October-November this year, the elevation of Pankaj Singh who hails from the state will serve as a signal. As the poorvanchali voters have supported the BJP’s return to power in Delhi after 27 years, there was no way the party could have avoided giving due recognition to a candidate who comes from the community.
In the coming days, the focus will shift from celebrations to governance, where the BJP government would need to deliver on its promises to the Delhiites.