Sirsa first Sikh to hold ministerial position in Delhi Govt after 10 yrs

A week before his 53rd birthday on February 28, BJP national secretary and newly elected Rajouri Garden MLA Manjinder Singh Sirsa was sworn in as a Cabinet Minister in the ninth Legislative Assembly. He is the first Sikh to hold a ministerial position in the Delhi Government after a decade of AAP rule.

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A prominent Sikh face in the national capital, Sirsa served as president of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee — the governing body of all gurdwaras in the city — from 2019 to 2022. He was also the longest-serving general secretary of the committee, holding the position from February 2013 to March 2019.

The 52-year-old has now won the Rajouri Garden Assembly seat three times. He first won in 2013 on the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) ticket, then secured victory in the 2017 byelection while still in SAD but contesting as a BJP-backed candidate, as both parties were allies at the time. In the 2025 elections, he defeated AAP’s Dhanwati Chandela by a margin of 18,190 votes.

“This is a responsibility to implement the vision of PM Modi. We have been given an opportunity to be part of the team to realise his dream of a ‘Viksit Dilli’ (Developed Delhi),” Sirsa said after taking the oath.

In December 2021, he resigned from SAD and joined the BJP, citing personal reasons. By August 2023, he was appointed BJP’s national secretary.

Sirsa declared assets worth Rs 248.86 crore, with liabilities amounting to Rs 57.68 crore. According to a report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), he was among the top five wealthiest candidates in the 2025 elections.

As BJP eyes the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections — where it won only two seats in 2022 — Sirsa is expected to play a crucial role as the party’s key Sikh face.

Beyond politics, he is known for his community service, particularly his efforts during the Covid-19 pandemic. He also has a strong social media presence, with one million followers on Facebook and over two lakh followers on Instagram, where he frequently shares updates and video messages.