Rekha Gupta is set to be sworn in as the Chief Minister of Delhi at a ceremony at Ramlila Maidan today, February 20. Along with her, six ministers will take the oath of office, including Parvesh Sahib Singh, Ashish Sood, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Ravinder Indraj Singh, Kapil Mishra, and Pankaj Kumar Singh.
Gupta will be the fourth woman to hold the Chief Minister’s position in Delhi, continuing a notable tradition that other regions of the country have struggled to replicate. Delhi has seen women Chief Ministers from the BJP, Congress, and the Aam Aadmi Party. She succeeds Atishi in this role.
Elected as an MLA from Shalimar Bagh, Rekha Gupta has previously served as the general secretary of BJP Mahila Morcha in Delhi and as a member of its national executive committee. During these roles, she championed initiatives for the welfare of marginalized communities and women.
In her remarks, Gupta expressed deep gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the party leadership for entrusting her with such a significant responsibility. “PM Narendra Modi has shown immense faith in an ordinary party worker and daughter like me. I will stand up to his expectations. My story can be an inspiration for every woman, that a common middle-class woman can also reach the top leadership of the party,” she said.
She also thanked the people of Delhi for their support, promising that the city was entering a “golden period.”
The swearing-in ceremony will be attended by Prime Minister Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, along with other Union Ministers and Chief Ministers and Deputy Ministers from NDA-ruled states.
Security for the event is tight, with National Security Guard (NSG) commandos, Delhi Police, and Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel deployed around Ramlila Maidan. The ceremony is scheduled to begin at 12:15 pm.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is forming the government in Delhi after a gap of 27 years. In the recent assembly elections held earlier this month, the BJP secured 48 seats out of 70, while the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) won just 22 seats. Congress failed to win any seats for the third consecutive election. The results were declared on February 8, and while the opposition parties have criticized the delay in government formation, the BJP is moving forward with its new administration.
