Swati Maliwal Attends Delhi CM Rekha Gupta’s Oath Ceremony Amid AAP Rift

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal attended the swearing-in ceremony of Delhi’s new chief minister, Rekha Gupta, at Ramlila Maidan on Thursday. The event was also graced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with senior BJP and NDA leaders.

Maliwal’s presence at the ceremony comes amid her ongoing rift with AAP leadership, the party that nominated her to the Rajya Sabha.

Speaking at the event, Maliwal said, “My greetings to Delhi CM Rekha Gupta… The people of Delhi have chosen her with great expectations. I hope she meets those expectations.”

Maliwal’s Criticism of Kejriwal and Call for Action on Yamuna Pollution

On Wednesday, after Rekha Gupta was named Delhi’s new CM, Maliwal—who had been a vocal critic of AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal during the Assembly elections—extended her congratulations. She had previously raised concerns about Yamuna River pollution, even collecting river water and protesting alongside Purvanchali women against former CM Kejriwal.

In an interview with ANI on Thursday, she reiterated her stance, stating, “It is shameful that Arvind Kejriwal betrayed the very movement he started. He became CM on an anti-corruption agenda, yet CAG reports from 2016 have still not been tabled in the Vidhan Sabha. I urge the government to release those reports, expose corruption, and take strict action. The Yamuna has turned into a drainage system over the last 10 years—it must be cleaned and restored.”

Following the swearing-in, BJP legislators, including the newly inducted ministers, are expected to inspect the Yamuna River.

Rekha Gupta Takes Oath as Delhi’s 4th Woman CM.

Rekha Gupta was sworn in as Delhi’s chief minister, leading the BJP’s 48-member assembly contingent, while AAP will serve as the main opposition with 22 MLAs.

Her cabinet includes six ministers: Parvesh Verma, Ashish Sood, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Ravinder Indraj Singh, Kapil Mishra, and Pankaj Kumar Singh.

The swearing-in ceremony was attended by top BJP leaders, including PM Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP chief JP Nadda, and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Other dignitaries included Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Rajasthan CM Bhajan Lal Sharma, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis, Goa CM Pramod Sawant, Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu, Bihar Deputy CM Vijay Kumar Sinha, and Rajasthan Deputy CM Prem Chand Bairwa.

Hours after taking the oath, Rekha Gupta formally assumed office at the Delhi Secretariat. She is the BJP’s second woman chief minister in Delhi and the fourth female CM of the national capital.

Her first official engagements include visiting Vasudev Ghat and Yamuna Bazaar and chairing her cabinet’s first meeting.