IN PHOTOS: Jubilant supporters gather at Rekha Gupta’s home before she leaves for oath ceremony
Delhi Chief Minister-designate Rekha Gupta was greeted by jubilant supporters at her residence as she prepared to leave for her swearing-in ceremony at Ramlila Maidan. Gupta, aged 50, was chosen as Leader of the House in the newly constituted 8th Delhi Assembly during a BJP legislature party meeting on Wednesday. (PICS/PTI)
Updated on : 20 February,2025 11:39 AM IST | Compiled by : Anisha Shrivastava
Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena invited Gupta to form the new government after she staked claim on Wednesday evening at Raj Niwas. She will be sworn in as Delhi’s 9th Chief Minister, marking the BJP’s return to power in the capital after 26 years.
Six newly elected MLAs, including Parvesh Verma, Ashish Sood, Pankaj Singh, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Kapil Mishra, and Ravinder Indraj, will also take the oath as members of her Council of Ministers. The new government is expected to hold its first meeting at the Delhi Secretariat at 3 pm, where key welfare schemes such as the Mahila Samriddhi Yojna and Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme could be implemented.
Gupta assured that the BJP government would fulfil its poll promise of providing Rs 2,500 in monthly financial assistance to women, with the first payment to be credited by 8th March, International Women's Day. The BJP had pledged this initiative in its manifesto, surpassing AAP’s pre-election promise of Rs 2,100 monthly support for women.
Gupta, a first-time MLA, has longstanding ties with the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) and has risen through the ranks of the BJP. A former Delhi University Students' Union (DUSU) president and municipal councillor, she will be Delhi’s fourth woman Chief Minister after Sushma Swaraj, Sheila Dikshit, and Atishi.
She will also be the fourth BJP Chief Minister of Delhi, following in the footsteps of Madan Lal Khurana, Sahib Singh Verma, and Sushma Swaraj. Gupta won the Shalimar Bagh seat in the Delhi Assembly elections by defeating AAP candidate Bandana Kumari by over 29,000 votes, leading the BJP to a decisive victory with 48 out of 70 seats.
