The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has chosen Rekha Gupta, the MLA from Shalimar Bagh, as the new Chief Minister of Delhi. On Wednesday (February 19) evening, her name was announced as the leader of the legislative party in front of the newly elected MLAs. Rekha and her new cabinet members will take the oath on Thursday at 12 PM at Ramlila Maidan.
Rekha Gupta, a representative of the business community, was once a leader of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s (RSS) student wing, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). She also won the election for the general secretary position of the Delhi University Students’ Union. However, this is her first time serving as an MLA.
In the legislative party meeting on Wednesday, BJP candidate Parvesh Verma, who defeated Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal in the New Delhi constituency, proposed Rekha’s name. Interestingly, the last time BJP lost power in Delhi in 1998, the Chief Minister was also a female leader—Sushma Swaraj.
Earlier on Wednesday morning, BJP’s highest decision-making body, the Parliamentary Board, held a meeting to finalize the Chief Minister’s name. However, no official information was released about the discussions. Ravi Shankar Prasad and Om Prakash Dhankhar were appointed as central observers for the decision-making process. Later in the evening, during the legislative party meeting, the two observers formally announced Rekha Gupta’s name in front of the newly elected MLAs.
After 27 years, the BJP has returned to power in Delhi, winning 48 out of 70 assembly seats. Meanwhile, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which ruled Delhi for the last 10 years, was defeated, securing only 22 seats.
Arvind Kejriwal himself lost in his New Delhi constituency to BJP candidate Parvesh Verma. Finally, 11 days after the February 5 elections, the BJP has announced Rekha Gupta as the Chief Minister. Following leaders like Sushma Swaraj, Sheila Dikshit, and Atishi Marlena, Delhi now has its fourth female Chief Minister.