LIVE: Delhi Cabinet portfolios: Rekha Gupta gets Finance; Ashish Sood gets Home

BJP leader and New Delhi MLA Parvesh Verma, who was speculated to be the Delhi chief minister, has said he is a very disciplined worker of the party and will fulfil the responsibility entrusted to him by the party.

When asked whether he would be the deputy chief minister, Verma said, “I have maintained for long that I am a very disciplined worker of the BJP and will remain in the party till my last breath. The BJP made my father the chief minister of Delhi and a Union minister, and he also kept serving the party till his last breath. I will fulfil the responsibility that has been given to me.”

Verma thanked Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP national president JP Nadda, saying Delhi got good guidance under their leadership. “Today is a very important day. We will fulfil our promise which we have made about Viksit Delhi. We will fulfil all the promises which we have made in our manifesto," he said.

Verma also congratulated all party workers and said that their hard work paid off.

“I think we have a huge responsibility towards Delhi. People of Delhi have given us love and blessings. After over 26 years, the BJP is forming the government here. I especially thank our Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The citizens of Delhi are confident that under his leadership, we will make it the most beautiful capital in the world,” he said.

Along with Rekha Gupta, six other Delhi ministers also took oath on Thursday. Parvesh Verma, Ashish Sood, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Kapil Mishra, Ravinder Indraj Singh, and Pankaj Singh were also administered the oath of office by Lt Governor VK Saxena.

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has been accorded Z category security of the Delhi Police. This is as per the security guidelines of the Ministry of Home Affairs outlined in the Yellow Book, which details protection protocols for VIPs and VVIPs.

Under Z category security, Gupta will be guarded by around 22 personnel, including personal security officers (PSOs), escorts, surveillance staff, and around eight static armed guards. The enhanced security cover is typically granted to high-profile political figures.

Former Delhi Chief Minister Atishi was also provided Z category security during her tenure.

The BJP, which returned to power in Delhi after 26 years with a decisive mandate, has its task cut out: it will have to fulfil key election promises, continue welfare schemes of the previous government, fix the city’s pollution and infrastructure issues, and deliver on cleaning the Yamuna.

The BJP government will have to get all this done while keeping a check on the financial health of the national capital. The Aam Aadmi Party, which will now be in the opposition, will also be breathing down its neck given it has never been out of power in Delhi since its formation.

Among the top priorities of Rekha Gupta, who was chosen by the party to be the chief minister, will be to deliver on its promise of providing a monthly honorarium of Rs 2,500 to women of Delhi. This was a key commitment in the party’s manifesto and was designed to outmatch AAP’s pledge of Rs 2,100. She has said it will be done by March 8, celebrated as International Women’s Day.

Another major challenge for the BJP will be to continue welfare schemes initiated by the AAP government, including free electricity up to 200 units, free water connection, and free bus rides for women, among others.

The BJP also has to implement its own flagship programmes in Delhi. The BJP had promised to introduce the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme in Delhi. The scheme provides free treatment up to Rs 5 lakh per beneficiary, with an additional Rs 5 lakh covered by the state government. The AAP government had previously refused to implement it, claiming that Delhi’s existing healthcare system was superior and more inclusive.

The BJP has also vowed to reform Delhi’s Mohalla Clinics, alleging corruption in its functioning. BJP MLA Manjinder Singh Sirsa from Rajouri Garden said that the clinics will be rebranded as Ayushman Arogya Mandirs and will deliver better healthcare delivery.

BJP has consistently accused the AAP of corruption, alleging that it was deliberately trying to avoid the tabling of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) reports in the assembly to hide financial irregularities. Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva has said all pending CAG reports will be tabled and all corruption charges will be investigated thoroughly.

Among the two main allegations of corruption against the AAP were in the Sheesh Mahal controversy and the liquor policy case.

The cleaning of the Yamuna was a major issue during the BJP’s campaign. Prime Minister Modi, during the BJP’s victory celebrations, after it won the February 5 polls, reaffirmed his commitment to cleaning the river.

The administration has begun deploying trash skimmers, weed harvesters, and dredgers for the clean-up operation along the 57-km stretch of the Yamuna in Delhi.

Additionally, the BJP government will be under pressure to improve Delhi’s deteriorating roads and sewage system. Poor infrastructure was a major voter concern, and addressing these issues will be crucial for the government’s credibility.

Pollution remains one of the biggest concerns for Delhi, which is among the most polluted capitals globally. The BJP government will be under pressure to implement an effective pollution control strategy, including updating the electric vehicle (EV) policy, which the AAP failed to revise after its implementation in 2020.