February 20, 2025: Rekha Gupta, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and first-time legislator, took oath as the Chief Minister of Delhi on Thursday at a grand swearing-in ceremony at Ramlila Maidan. With this, the BJP has formed its first government in the national capital in nearly 30 years.

Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena administered the oath of office to Gupta, who won from the Shalimar Bagh constituency. Alongside her, six BJP MLAs were sworn in as cabinet ministers, including Parvesh Verma, who defeated Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal, former AAP leader Kapil Mishra, Ashish Sood, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Pankaj Kumar Singh, and Ravinder Indraj Singh.

The swearing-in event was attended by top BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and BJP President Jagat Prakash Nadda. Chief ministers and deputy chief ministers of BJP-led states, along with key NDA allies, also graced the occasion.

Gupta’s appointment marks her as Delhi’s fourth woman chief minister, following in the footsteps of AAP’s Atishi, BJP’s Sushma Swaraj, and Congress’ Sheila Dikshit. She now joins West Bengal’s Mamata Banerjee as one of the only two female CMs in India.

The BJP’s victory in the February 5 assembly elections saw the party securing 48 out of 70 seats, marking a significant comeback. Meanwhile, the AAP’s tally dropped to 22 seats from its previous 62 in 2020 and 67 in 2015. The Congress failed to win any seats for the third consecutive term.

With Gupta at the helm, Delhi is set for a new political era under BJP’s governance after decades of AAP and Congress rule.