Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived at the swearing-in ceremony of Delhi’s Chief Minister-designate Rekha Gupta on Thursday.
Before his arrival, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, along with BJP National President and Union Minister JP Nadda, had already reached Ramlila Maidan to attend the ceremony and greet Rekha Gupta.
Several senior leaders from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), including Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan and Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, also joined the event in the national capital.
Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini, speaking to ANI, extended his congratulations to Gupta and the people of Delhi, while also criticizing the previous AAP-led government. “I congratulate Rekha ji and the people of Delhi. The people of Delhi have placed their trust in PM Modi’s leadership. For a long time, a government was in power, misleading the people, but now they have been ousted,” Saini said.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy CM Eknath Shinde also attended the event. Shinde, expressing his joy over Gupta’s appointment, called her a ‘Ladli Behna’ (beloved sister), stating, “It is a moment of happiness that our Ladli Behna Rekha Gupta is becoming the Chief Minister of Delhi. Delhi is now on its way to becoming a ‘Viksit Delhi’ (developed Delhi).”
At the venue, Rekha Gupta and her husband were warmly greeted by Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena.
Earlier, several other prominent leaders, including Union Ministers and Chief Ministers from neighboring states, arrived at the venue. Among the first to arrive were Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Delhi LG VK Saxena, Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma, Uttar Pradesh Deputy CM Vijay Kumar Sinha, and Rajasthan Deputy CM Prem Chand Bairwa.
In a notable moment, Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal, a staunch critic of AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal during the Assembly elections, also congratulated Gupta on her appointment.
Rekha Gupta is set to become the fourth woman Chief Minister of Delhi, following leaders from the BJP, Congress, and AAP. She will succeed Atishi of AAP.
Alongside Gupta, six other MLAs will take the oath of office, including Parvesh Sahib Singh (Deputy CM), Ashish Sood, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Ravinder Indraj Singh, Kapil Mishra, and Pankaj Kumar Singh.
