AAP boycotts Rekha’s oath ceremony; BJP hosts event amid political tensions

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) boycotted the swearing-in ceremony of Delhi’s new Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and her Cabinet on Thursday, marking a significant political divide.

The event, held at Ramlila Maidan, was the same venue where AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal had taken his oath in 2013, 2015 and 2020. Despite the absence of AAP leaders, Delhi BJP president Virender Sachdeva had extended invitations to outgoing Delhi Chief Minister Atishi, former CM Arvind Kejriwal and Delhi Congress chief Devender Yadav. However, only Yadav attended the ceremony.

Kejriwal, who faced a major defeat in the Delhi Assembly elections with BJP securing 48 seats, also lost his own seat in New Delhi to BJP’s Parvesh Verma. Despite the setback, Kejriwal congratulated Rekha on social media, posting on X: “Many congratulations to Rekha Gupta ji on becoming the Chief Minister of Delhi. I hope that she will fulfill all the promises made to the people of Delhi. We will support her in every work for the development and welfare of the people of Delhi.”

The ceremony also saw the attendance of AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal, who has been at odds with the AAP leadership. Her presence sparked a response from AAP Kondli MLA Kuldeep Kumar, who criticised Maliwal on social media, calling her a “BJP agent” and accusing her of betraying the party.

This boycott of the swearing-in ceremony is reminiscent of a similar scenario in Maharashtra when Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, NCP leader Sharad Pawar and senior Congress leaders boycotted the event following Devendra Fadnavis’s oath-taking as Chief Minister. Other prominent figures, including MNS chief Raj Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray’s son, Aaditya Thackeray, were also absent from the event.

The political rift is evident as the AAP, now in the Opposition, refrains from participating in the ceremony, while the BJP and the Congress show their differing political

alignments in the city’s governance.