NEW DELHI: A day after ending the suspense over its chief ministerial candidate in Delhi, the BJP announced on Thursday that it will form a six-member cabinet led by Rekha Gupta, who is set to become the fourth woman chief minister of the national capital.
The six ministers in Gupta’s cabinet include Parvesh Verma, who defeated AAP’s CM candidate Arvind Kejriwal in the New Delhi constituency. Other ministers are Kapil Mishra, a former AAP leader who switched to BJP, along with Ashish Sood, Majinder Singh Sirsa, Ravinder Indraj Singh, and Pankaj Kumar Singh.
Gupta’s appointment reflects the BJP’s strategy to balance caste and community representation in its cabinet. She will be joined by six ministers at a grand swearing-in ceremony at Ramlila Maidan on Thursday.
Rekha Gupta was unanimously chosen as the BJP legislative party leader during a meeting at the Delhi BJP office. Her nomination was proposed by MLAs Parvesh Verma, Satish Upadhyay, and Vijender Gupta, all of whom were also considered contenders for the position.
Rekha Gupta later met Delhi lieutenant governor V K Saxena to stake her claim to form the new government.
This victory marks the BJP’s return to power in Delhi after 27 years, ending the 10-year rule of the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP government.
The official X account of the Delhi LG confirmed, “Leader of the BJP Legislative Party in the Delhi legislative assembly Rekha Gupta called on LG V K Saxena at Raj Niwas and staked her claim to form the new Government of NCT of Delhi.” The post added that the LG accepted her claim and invited her to form the new government.
A former president of the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) and a municipal councillor, Gupta will be the fourth woman chief minister of Delhi, following Sushma Swaraj, Sheila Dikshit, and Atishi. She will also be the fourth BJP chief minister in Delhi’s history, after Madan Lal Khurana, Sahib Singh Verma, and Sushma Swaraj. Notably, Gupta will be the only incumbent woman chief minister in any BJP-ruled state.
The new BJP government, led by Gupta, will be sworn-in at a grand ceremony at Ramlila Maidan on Thursday afternoon, attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other dignitaries.
