Rekha Gupta is set to take the oath as the Chief Minister of the National Capital Territory of Delhi, alongside six ministers, on Thursday. President Droupadi Murmu has officially appointed the Chief Minister and her cabinet, with a gazette notification issued by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs confirming that the appointments will take effect once they are sworn in.
Gupta, who is a first-time MLA, will become the fourth woman to assume the office of Chief Minister of Delhi. The grand swearing-in ceremony will take place around noon at Ramlila Maidan, a venue expected to host a large crowd. The event will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Cabinet members, and Chief Ministers from various states.
The notification, signed by Praveen Kumar Rai, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs, reads: “The President is pleased to appoint Mrs. Rekha Gupta as the Chief Minister, National Capital Territory of Delhi with effect from the date she is sworn in.” In addition to Gupta, six MLAs have been appointed as ministers in the National Capital Territory of Delhi. The six ministers include Parvesh Sahib Singh, who won from the New Delhi constituency by defeating AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal, Ashish Sood from Janakpuri, Manjinder Singh Sirsa from Rajouri Garden, Ravinder Indraj Singh from Bawana, Kapil Mishra from Karawal Nagar, and Pankaj Kumar Singh from Vikaspuri. These appointments will also take effect after they are sworn in.
Rekha Gupta expressed her gratitude to PM Modi and the BJP leadership for their trust in her. “PM Narendra Modi has shown immense faith in an ordinary party worker and daughter like me. I will stand up to his expectations. I want to thank the party leadership and PM Modi for giving a commoner like me such a big responsibility. My story can be an inspiration for every woman, showing that even a middle-class woman can rise to top leadership positions,” Gupta said.
In the recently held Delhi Assembly elections, the BJP secured 48 seats out of 70, while the outgoing Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) won 22 seats. Congress, for the third consecutive time, failed to win any seats.
