The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has appointed Rekha Gupta, the Shalimar Bagh MLA, as the new Chief Minister of Delhi. Parvesh Verma, the New Delhi MLA, has been chosen as her deputy. Gupta, who won from Shalimar Bagh by a huge margin of over 29,000 votes against AAP’s Bandna Kumari in the February 5 assembly election, was selected as the Leader of the House during the BJP legislature party meeting.
This marks a historic moment as the BJP has returned to power in Delhi after over 26 years. Gupta will be the fourth woman Chief Minister of Delhi, following in the footsteps of Sushma Swaraj, Sheila Dikshit, and Atishi. She and her Cabinet ministers are scheduled to take their oath of office tomorrow at the Ramlila Ground.
The announcement has sparked celebration at the Delhi BJP office, with party workers in high spirits ahead of the decision. The office was filled with energetic chanting, drumbeats, and slogans like ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and ‘PM Modi, Zindabad.’ Party workers expressed their eagerness to support the party, regardless of who was chosen as the CM, with some emphasizing that their excitement was about the party’s success, not just the individual candidate.
Devender Kohli, a party worker, said, “It doesn’t matter who becomes the CM, as every MLA will ensure that the Prime Minister’s promises are kept.” Smita Mohan, another party worker, added, “It would be great if the CM is a woman, but we will welcome any party leader at the top post.”
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