L G Saxena invites BJP's Rekha Gupta to form govt in Delhi

New Delhi: Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena has invited the BJP's CM-designate Rekha Gupta to form a new government after she staked claim for it.

BJP sources said besides Gupta, six newly elected MLAs -- Parvesh Verma who defeated AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal from New Delhi seat, Ashish Sood, Pankaj Singh, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Kapil Mishra and Ravinder Indraj -- will take oath as members of the new council of ministers.

First-time MLA Rekha Gupta was chosen as the Leader of the House in the Delhi Assembly at the BJP legislature party meeting on Wednesday evening. She later met Saxena and staked claim to form government in the national capital.

The party has returned to power in Delhi after over 26 years, ending the 10-year rule of the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP.

The official X account of the Delhi LG said, "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 LG accepted the claim and invited her to form the new government, it added.

A former Delhi University Students' Union (DUSU) president and civic body councillor, Gupta 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, will be sworn in at a grand ceremony at the Ramlila Maidan on Thursday afternoon in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other dignitaries.

She will also be the fourth Chief Minister from the BJP in Delhi after Madan Lal Khurana, Sahib Singh Verma, and Sushma Swaraj. Notably, Gupta is going to be the only incumbent woman chief minister in any BJP-ruled state.