The lengthy wait for ‘who will be the next Delhi Chief Minister’ ended on Wednesday evening, when first-time MLA Rekha Gupta was elected as the leader of the BJP legislature party, opening the path for her to take over the position.
Gupta, the MLA from Shalimar Bagh, was chosen at a meeting of the BJP legislature party held this evening at the state party office on Pant Marg, with two central observers present: former Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and BJP national Secretary Om Prakash Dhankhar.
As the conference began to elect the BJP legislature party leader, there was much speculation that a woman legislator would take over the responsibility. Gupta will be Delhi’s fourth woman Chief Minister, succeeding Sushma Swaraj (BJP), Sheila Dikshit (Congress), and Atishi (AAP).
Even before her name was announced, Gupta, a former Delhi University Students Union President and municipal councillor, hosted a celebration at her home.
After being chosen by the BJP MPs, Gupta would travel to the Raj Niwas to meet with Lt Governor V.K. Saxena and stake her claim to lead the next administration.
Tomorrow at noon, the city’s historic Ramlila Maidan will host a big swearing-in ceremony for the new Chief Minister. Lt Governor Saxena will administer the oath of office and secrecy to the new chief minister in front of top BJP leadership and associated party officials on the dais. A group of vehicle drivers, auto drivers, and slum dwellers will be among those who draw attention at the oath-taking ceremony.
The oath-taking event will run from 11 a.m. to 12.34 p.m., with the Chief Minister’s swearing-in scheduled at 12.05 p.m. The ceremony will be attended by several prominent political personalities, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena, as well as around 200 BJP MPs and MLAs and invited religious leaders.
The new Chief Minister’s name has remained a closely kept secret until now, owing to the Prime Minister’s trips to France and the United States delaying the procedure.
The BJP, which had been out of power in Delhi since 1998, achieved a landslide victory in the 2025 Assembly elections, capturing 48 seats in the 70-member assembly and reducing the AAP to 22.
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