New Delhi

Leader of BJP Legislative Party in Delhi Assembly Rekha Gupta on Wednesday met Lt Governor V.K. Saxena at the Raj Niwas here and staked her claim to form the new government.

The meeting with L-G Saxena came just hours after the top BJP leadership picked her name for the chief ministerial position in line with the recent trend of the party picking 'dark horses' to lead the government, as seen in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.

A post on X by the official handle of L-G read: "Leader of the BJP Legislative Party in the Delhi Legislative Assembly, Smt Rekha Gupta called on Hon’ble LG, Shri V. K. Saxena at Raj Niwas and staked her claim to form the new Government of NCT of Delhi. Hon’ble LG accepted the claim and invited her to form the new government."

Earlier, on Wednesday, ending the almost two-week-long suspense over the next Delhi Chief Minister, first-time MLA Rekha Gupta was on Wednesday chosen as the leader of the BJP legislature party, paving the way for her to take over the top post in the grand ceremony slated on Thursday.

Gupta, 50, the MLA from Shalimar Bagh, was chosen at a meeting of the BJP legislature party at the state party office at Pant Marg this evening, under the supervision of two central observers – former Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and BJP national Secretary Om Prakash Dhankhar.

As the meeting began to elect the BJP legislature party leader, there was intense speculation about a woman legislator taking over the mantle. And it was proved right with the election of Gupta, who will be the fourth woman Chief Minister of Delhi after Sushma Swaraj (BJP), Sheila Dikshit (Congress), and Atishi (AAP).

"Hearty congratulations and best wishes to Mrs Rekha Gupta ji on being elected the leader of the Delhi BJP Legislative Party. We have full faith that the state will progress under your leadership," the BJP Delhi unit said in a post in Hindi on its X handle.

Gupta, who is an advocate by profession, thanked the top BJP leadership for reposing confidence in her.

"I thank the top leadership from my heart for its belief in me for entrusting me with the post of Chief Minister. This faith and support have evoked a new energy and motivation in me. I pledge to strive with total honesty, commitment and dedication for the welfare of the residents of Delhi. I am fully committed to the significant responsibility of taking Delhi to a new pinnacle," Gupta said in a post on X in Hindi.

Union Ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nirmala Sitharaman, and Dharmendra Pradhan, outgoing Delhi CM Atishi, and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his Haryana and Rajasthan counterparts Nayab Singh Saini and Bhajan Lal Sharma, Delhi MP Bansuri Swaraj and former Union Minister Harsh Vardhan were among those who congratulated the CM-designate.

"... The party has given a very big responsibility. To fulfil this responsibility, a lot of strength and collective effort is needed. Today is a time to enjoy and work will begin from tomorrow," her husband Manish Gupta told IANS after the announcement.

'Giant-killer' Parvesh Verma, son of former Chief Minister Sahib Singh Verma and the victor over AAP convenor and former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the New Delhi seat, was tipped as the Deputy Chief Minister though there was no formal announcement yet.

Veteran BJP leader Vijender Gupta, who was the Leader of the Opposition in the outgoing Assembly, may be chosen as the new Speaker.

Even before the announcement of her name, celebrations had broken out at the house of Gupta, a former Delhi University Students Union President, municipal councillor and Mayor of the erstwhile SDMC.

The new Chief Minister will take oath at a grand swearing-in ceremony at the city’s iconic Ramlila Maidan on Thursday.

The new Chief Minister will be administered the oath of office and secrecy by Lt Governor Saxena, amid the presence of top BJP brass and leaders of allied parties on the dais. A gathering of car drivers, auto drivers and slum-dwellers will be among the key bunch of people who will garner attention at the oath-taking ceremony.

The oath-taking ceremony will take place from 11 a.m. to 12.34 p.m., with the Chief Minister’s swearing-in set for 12.05 p.m.

The event will be attended by several key political figures, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Lt Governor Saxena, along with over 200 BJP MPs and MLAs, and invited religious leaders.

The name of the new Chief Minister had remained a closely guarded secret till now, apparently because the process got delayed due to the Prime Minister’s trips to France and the US.

The BJP, which had been out of power in Delhi since 1998, won a convincing victory in the 2025 Assembly elections, winning 48 seats in the 70-member Assembly, and reducing the AAP to 22.