Bhubaneswar: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Rekha Gupta will be the new Chief Minister of Delhi. She was elected as the leader of BJP Legislature Party today.

Gupta (51) has been elected to the Delhi Assembly from Shalimar Bagh (North-West) seat in 2025 elections. Gupta, a former Delhi University Students’ Union president and municipal councillor, is a first-time MLA.

Gupta will be the fourth woman Chief Minister of Delhi after Sushma Swaraj (BJP), Sheila Dikshit (Congress), and Atishi (AAP).

Parvesh Verma, who defeated former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal from New Delhi seat, likely to be the Deputy Chief Minister. 

The BJP leadership had appointed senior leaders Ravi Shankar Prasad and Om Prakash Dhankar as party’s central observers for the election of leader of BJP Legislature Party in Delhi.

The swearing-in ceremony of the new Chief Minister and Cabinet is scheduled to be held at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi on February 20 (Thursday).

The ceremony will begin at 11 am. Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena will administer the oath of office to the Chief Minister-designate and the Cabinet at 12.35 pm.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, several Union Ministers, and Chief Ministers and Deputy Chief Ministers of NDA ruled states will attend the ceremony.  

The BJP has won 48 Assembly seats of the total 70 in Delhi in the just concluded polls. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) secured 22 seats.