New Delhi: After 27 years, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has returned to power with Rekha Gupta taking oath as the 9th Chief Minister of Delhi along with cabinet ministers Parvesh Verma, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Ashish Sood, Pankaj Singh, Kapil Mishra, and Ravinder Indraj Singh.
All eyes are now on the portfolio allocation as the BJP has so far remained tight-lipped on which ministerial berths will be allotted to whom.
The previous terms of the Delhi government led by Sheila Dikshit and Arvind Kejriwal have seen varied cabinet formulas by the two chief ministers, prompting the question of whether Rekha Gupta will adopt any of those setups or a new portfolio distribution formula.
Sheila Dikshit, who served as Delhi chief minister for 15 years, held key ministries, including finance. In contrast, Arvind Kejriwal, who led Delhi for over a decade, never held any ministerial portfolio himself.
Previous Delhi governments and their portfolio distribution
Delhi’s first Assembly elections were held in 1952, and Congress leader Chaudhary Brahm Prakash Yadav became the first Chief Minister. However, Congress later replaced him with Gurmukh Nihal Singh. The Assembly was later dissolved, only to be reinstated in 1991.
In 1993, the BJP won the elections, and Madan Lal Khurana became Chief Minister. However, he was replaced mid-term by Sahib Singh Verma, who was later succeeded by Sushma Swaraj just before the 1998 elections.
Congress returned to power in 1998 with Sheila Dikshit, who remained Chief Minister for 15 years. However, in 2013, the rise of Arvind Kejriwal and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ended Congress’s rule. Kejriwal became Chief Minister three times before resigning in September 2024, passing the reins to Atishi.
Ministries held by Sheila Dikshit
During her tenure from 1998 to 2013, Sheila Dikshit held multiple key portfolios, including home, finance, culture, tourism, planning, environment, and general administration. Her governance style involved direct control over major departments, allowing her to implement policies effectively.
Kerjiwal and Atishi’s portfolios
Atishi, who took over from Kejriwal, retained held several key ministries such as:
- Public Works Department (PWD)
- Power
- Education
- Higher Education
- Training & Technical Education
- Public Relations
- Revenue
- Finance
- Planning
- Services
- Vigilance
- Water
- Law & Justice
She also delegated some responsibilities to her cabinet ministers but kept a significant number of ministries under her control.
Kejriwal’s unique approach
Unlike his predecessors, Arvind Kejriwal was the only Chief Minister of Delhi who never held a ministerial portfolio himself. Instead, he delegated key departments first to Manish Sisodia and later to other ministers.
What portfolios BJP CMs in Delhi held
Given that previous BJP Chief Ministers, including Madan Lal Khurana, Sahib Singh Verma, and Sushma Swaraj, held multiple portfolios, it is likely that Rekha Gupta will follow suit and take charge of crucial ministries. The final decision on ministry allocations will set the course for her leadership in Delhi.
