New Delhi: Five of the seven newly inducted ministers in Delhi have disclosed criminal cases against themselves, according to a report by the poll rights group, Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR). Among them is BJP leader Rekha Gupta, who was sworn in as Delhi’s chief minister today. That apart, one of her cabinet members, Ashish Sood, is facing serious criminal charges. These revelations are based on self-sworn affidavits submitted by the ministers ahead of the 2025 Delhi Assembly elections.
In terms of wealth, two ministers—making up 29 per cent of the cabinet—are billionaires. Manjinder Singh Sirsa, the BJP MLA from Rajouri Garden, has declared the highest assets worth Rs. 248.85 crore. On the other end, Kapil Mishra, representing the Karawal Nagar constituency, has the lowest declared assets at Rs. 1.06 crore.
Ministers’ assets and education
The average assets of the seven ministers amount to Rs. 56.03 crore. All have declared liabilities, with Parvesh Sahib Singh from the New Delhi constituency owing the highest amount at Rs. 74.36 crore. Regarding education, six out of the seven ministers hold graduate degrees or higher qualifications, while one has completed education up to the 12th standard.
Rekha Gupta officially assumed office as Delhi’s ninth chief minister on Thursday after taking charge at the Delhi Secretariat. The first-time MLA from Shalimar Bagh was administered the oath by Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena during a grand ceremony at Ramlila Maidan. Gupta’s cabinet includes six ministers: Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma, who defeated former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, Ashish Sood, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Ravinder Indraj Singh, Kapil Mishra and Pankaj Singh.
Oath-taking ceremony
The oath-taking ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, senior BJP leaders, and NDA allies.
Rekha Gupta is now the fourth woman to hold the chief minister’s post in Delhi, following her party colleague Sushma Swaraj, the Congress’ Sheila Dikshit, and AAP’s Atishi.
