Rekha Gupta to be new Delhi CM; swearing-in set for Ramlila Ground on Feb 20

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday named Rekha Gupta as its choice for Delhi Chief Minister, marking the party’s return to power in the national capital after 27 years. Gupta, MLA from Shalimar Bagh, defeated AAP's Bandana Kumari in the high-stakes assembly election.

Gupta was formally elected as the leader during the BJP's Legislature Party meeting in New Delhi. She will now meet Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena at Raj Niwas to stake claim to form the new government.

Earlier this evening, India Today reported that BJP may appoint someone from the Baniya community as chief minister. Among the top contenders for the post were Vijender Gupta, Rekha Gupta, and Jitender Mahajan - who are from the Baniya community, which has a huge voter base in Delhi.

The BJP won 48 out of 70 seats in the Delhi Assembly election, unseating Kejriwal's AAP, which had ruled the capital for a decade. The party’s Parliamentary Board had appointed former Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and BJP national secretary Om Prakash Dhankar as central observers for the legislative party meeting. Earlier in the day, several board members, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, met to finalise the chief ministerial pick.

The swearing-in ceremony is set to take place at Ramlila Ground on February 20 at 4:30 PM, with over 50,000 attendees, including PM Modi, Union Ministers, and chief ministers of NDA-ruled states. Preparations for the event are in full swing, with heavy security deployment across the venue.

Massive Security Arrangements at Ramlila Ground

More than 25,000 security personnel will be deployed in the central, north, and New Delhi areas of the city for the oath-taking ceremony of the new chief minister at the Ramlila Maidan on Thursday. The ceremony is expected to take place at around 12 pm and is likely to be attended by top BJP leaders, including chief ministers from party-ruled states. 

"More than 25,000 police personnel and over 15 companies of paramilitary forces will keep a strict vigil," said an officer on Wednesday. "According to the security plan, more than 5,000 police personnel, along with paramilitary will be deployed in and around the Ramlila Maidan. We have identified more than 2,500 strategic points where heavy deployment will be ensured," he added.