New Delhi: Debutant legislator Pankaj Kumar Singh, a Purvanchali face in the newly formed Rekha Gupta government, is a dental surgeon-turned-politician.

Singh (48), sworn in as a minister on Thursday, has won from the Vikaspuri seat, defeating his nearest rival by over 12,000 votes.

He is the general secretary of the Delhi BJP’s Poorvanchal Morcha. The Delhi residents coming from eastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand are referred to as Poorvanchalis and they are dominant in several constituencies of the national capital.

Singh told PTI that the priorities before the new government are many and they include roads, hospitals, schools, drinking water supply and cleaning of the Yamuna river.

“The basic facilities which should be provided to the people of Delhi have not been given to them. Our efforts will be to provide facilities to the people of the national capital and to fulfil Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a developed Delhi,” he said.

Singh has done his Bachelor’s degree in dental surgery from Magadh University, Bodh Gaya, in Bihar in 1998. His inclusion in the Delhi Cabinet hints towards the party’s political choices in Bihar which goes to polls later this year.

He also served as a municipal corporation leader in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) before being fielded by the party from the Vikaspuri seat.

The BJP returned to power in Delhi after over 26 years ousting the 10-year rule of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), winning 48 of the 70 Assembly seats. AAP’s tally shrunk to 22 seats from the high of 62 it had bagged in the 2020 Assembly elections.