The swearing-in ceremony of Delhi CM-designate Rekha Gupta, a first-time MLA from Shalimar Bagh who defeated AAP candidate Bandana Kumari by 29,595 votes, and her council of ministers took place on Thursday, February 20. Ahead of the swearing-in, Gupta said, “It is a miracle, it is a new motivation and a new chapter. If I can be the CM, this means ways are open for all the women… Anyone who has been corrupt will have to give an account of each and every rupee…”
As part of Gupta’s council of ministers — Parvesh Sahib Singh, Ashish Sood, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Raviraj Indraj Singh, Kapil Mishra, and Pankaj Kumar Singh — also took oaths. Here we look at the council of ministers. The oath ceremony of the New Delhi Government took place at the Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi. (PTI Photo/Kamal Singh)
Parvesh Verma | The former BJP MP from West Delhi, Parvesh Verma is the son of former Delhi chief minister Sahib Singh Verma. The BJP pitched him in the 2025 polls in a direct contest against AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal from the high-profile New Delhi Assembly constituency. He managed to defeat Kejriwal by 4,089 votes and was one of the frontrunners for the position of CM. (Image: PTI)
Ashish Sood | Sood has strong affiliations with the BJP and the RSS. Sood won the Janakpuri seat, defeating AAP’s Rajesh Rishi by 18,766 votes. He has held various roles within BJP, including serving as a councillor, Leader of the House in the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC), and as the party’s Goa in-charge and co-incharge for J&K. He also worked as secretary of Delhi BJP in 2008 and later as its general secretary.
Manjinder Singh Sirsa | The BJP candidate from Rajouri Garden defeated A Dhanwati Chandela of AAP in the 2025 Delhi Assembly Election by a margin of 18,190 votes. Sirsa has been the president of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee. In December 2021, he resigned from Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and joined the BJP. In August 2023, the was appointed the National Secretary of BJP.
Raviraj Indraj Singh | The BJP candidate from the Bawana seat defeated AAP candidate Jai Bhagwan Upkar by a margin of 31,475 votes. is engaged in business and social work. Singh, a national executive member of the BJP’s Scheduled Caste Front, has been actively advocating for the Dalit community for years. The 50-year-old Indraraj, a Delhi University graduate, is also a businessman by profession.
Kapil Mishra | The BJP candidate from the Karawal Nagar seat defeated AAP’s Manoj Kumar Tyagi by a margin of 23,355 votes in the 2025 Delhi Assembly Elections. Before joining the BJP in 2019, Mishra served as an AAP MLA for Karawal Nagar in Delhi’s Sixth Legislative Assembly. He holds the position of vice-president in the Delhi BJP. He was the water resources minister under the AAP government before being removed.
Pankaj Kumar Singh | This BJP candidate from the Vikaspuri seat defeated AAP’s Mahinder Yadav by a margin of 12,876 votes in the 2025 Delhi Assembly Elections. He is the son of the late Raj Mohan Singh, a former additional commissioner in the MCD. A dentist by profession, he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Dental Surgery from Magadh University, Bodh Gaya, Bihar, in 1998. His wife, Rashmi Kumari, is also a dentist.
