New Delhi, Feb 19, 2025, TRIPURATIMES Desk

New Delhi, Feb 19 (IANS) The long suspense over ‘who will be the next Delhi Chief Minister’ ended on Wednesday evening with first-time MLA Rekha Gupta being chosen as the leader of the BJP legislature party, paving the way for her to take over the post. Gupta, the MLA from Shalimar Bagh, was chosen at a meeting of the BJP legislature party at the state party office at Pant Marg this evening, under the supervision of two central observers – former Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and BJP national Secretary Om Prakash Dhankhar. As the meeting began to elect the BJP legislature party leader, there was intense speculation about a woman legislator taking over the mantle. And the speculation was proved right with the election of Gupta, who will be the fourth woman Chief Minister of Delhi after Sushma Swaraj (BJP), Sheila Dikshit (Congress), and Atishi (AAP). "Hearty congratulations and best wishes to Mrs Rekha Gupta ji on being elected the leader of the Delhi BJP Legislative Party. We have full faith that the state will progress under your leadership," the BJP Delhi unit said in a post in Hindi on its X handle. Gupta thanked the top BJP leadership for reposing confidence in her. "I thank the top leadership from my heart for its belief in me for entrusting me with the post of Chief Minister. This faith and support have evoked a new energy and motivation in me. I pledge to strive with total honesty, commitment and dedication for the welfare of the residents of Delhi. I am fully committed to the significant responsibility of taking Delhi to a new pinnacle," Gupta said in a post on X in Hindi. Union Ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, and Nirmala Sitharaman, outgoing Delhi CM Atishi, and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath were among those who congratulated the CM-designate. 'Giant-killer' Parvesh Verma, son of former Chief Minister Sahib Singh Verma and the victor over AAP convenor and former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the New Delhi seat, is likely to be the Deputy Chief Minister. Veteran BJP leader Vijendra Gupta, who was the Leader of the Opposition in the outgoing Assembly, may be the new Speaker. Even before the announcement of her name, celebrations had broken out at the house of Gupta, a former Delhi University Students Union President and municipal councillor. After being chosen by the BJP legislators, Gupta is slated to head to the Raj Niwas, where she will meet Lt Governor V.K. Saxena and stake claim to form the next government. The new Chief Minister will take oath at a grand swearing-in ceremony at the city’s iconic Ramlila Maidan at noon tomorrow. The new CM will be administered the oath of office and secrecy by Lt Governor Saxena, amidst the presence of top BJP brass and leaders of allied parties on the dais. A gathering of car drivers, auto drivers and slum-dwellers will be among the key bunch of people who will garner attention at the oath-taking ceremony. The oath-taking ceremony will take place from 11 a.m. to 12.34 p.m., with the Chief Minister’s swearing-in set for 12.05 p.m. The event will be attended by several key political figures, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena, along with over 200 BJP MPs and MLAs, and invited religious leaders. The name of the new Chief Minister had remained a closely guarded secret till now, apparently because the process got delayed due to the Prime Minister’s trips to France and the United States. The BJP, which had been out of power in Delhi since 1998, won a convincing victory in the 2025 Assembly elections, winning 48 seats in the 70-member Assembly, and reducing the AAP to 22.