Celebrations break out at Jind village as 'Haryana's daughter' Rekha Gupta set to become Delhi CM

Chandigarh: Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Wednesday congratulated "Haryana's daughter" Rekha Gupta on being elected as the new chief minister of Delhi, as celebrations broke out at her native Nandgarh village in Jind district.

Gupta will be the second woman chief minister of Delhi from the BJP camp with a Haryana connection after the late Sushma Swaraj, who spent her childhood days in Ambala.

Notably, another former chief minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal, also hails from Haryana. The AAP national convener has his roots in Siwani village in Bhiwani district.

"I heartily congratulate Haryana's daughter Mrs. @gupta_rekha ji on being elected the leader of the BJP Legislative Party after the historic victory of the BJP in Delhi," Saini said in a post on X in Hindi.

"A new chapter of Delhi's progress is about to begin. Maa Yamuna will become the identity of Delhi. I am confident that under the guidance of @narendramodi ji and your (Gupta's) leadership, Delhi's development journey will get new energy and momentum and the BJP government will make Delhi a modern city," Saini added.

Meanwhile, celebrations broke out at Nandgarh in Jind district's Julana area with women of the village distributing 'ladoos' to the villagers.

Shakuntala, a resident of the village, said the Nandgarh is happy that their "daughter has become the chief minister of Delhi".

Another villager, Rajbir, said Gupta's grandfather Maniram and her family members lived in Nandgarh while Rekha's father was a bank official.

"What can be a bigger news than the daughter of our village becoming the chief minister? We are all celebrating," he said.

Gupta was very young when her family moved to Delhi, he said.

Congratulating Gupta, Union minister and former Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar said in a post on X, "I have full faith that under the guidance of Honourable Prime Minister @narendramodi ji and your able leadership, the double-engine government in Delhi will set new records of good governance and overall development."

Gupta, 50, was chosen the leader of the House in Delhi Assembly at the legislative party meeting of the BJP held on Wednesday evening.

A former Delhi University Students' Union (DUSU) president and municipal councillor, she is set to become the fourth woman chief minister of Delhi after Sushma Swaraj, Sheila Dikshit and Atishi.

The new BJP government led by Gupta and her council of ministers will be sworn-in during a grand ceremony at the Ramlila Maidan on Thursday afternoon in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other dignitaries.