New Delhi, Feb 19 (IANS) With the BJP officially announcing Rekha Gupta as the new Chief Minister of Delhi, Congress leader Alka Lamba, who contested against AAP’s Atishi from the Kalkaji Assembly seat in this month’s elections, extended her congratulations with a nostalgic message.
Lamba took to social media platform X and shared a post in Hindi, which was translated into English as follows: “This memorable picture from 1995 – when Rekha Gupta and I took the oath together. I won the position of President of Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) from @nsui, and Rekha won the position of General Secretary from #ABVP. Congratulations and best wishes to Rekha Gupta. Congratulations to Delhi on getting its fourth woman Chief Minister. We, the people of Delhi, expect that #MotherYamuna will be clean and #Daughters will be safe.”
The announcement of Gupta’s name as Delhi’s new Chief Minister marked the end of an 11-day suspense. Gupta, who won the Shalimar Bagh seat in the February 5 Assembly elections, will be sworn in as Delhi’s fourth woman Chief Minister at a grand ceremony on Thursday at Ramlila Maidan.
Alka Lamba, who had won the DUSU elections in 1995 and became its president from NSUI, and Rekha Gupta, elected as general secretary from ABVP in the same year, were both prominent youth leaders making their mark in Delhi’s youth politics at that time. The picture Lamba shared captures the moment when both young leaders took their oaths as office bearers of DUSU. Now, years later, Rekha Gupta has risen to the top position of Chief Minister.
Rekha Gupta’s appointment makes her the fourth woman Chief Minister of Delhi, following the footsteps of BJP’s Sushma Swaraj, Congress’ Sheila Dikshit, and AAP’s Atishi. Gupta, a first-time MLA from Shalimar Bagh, defeated AAP’s Bandana Kumari by a margin of over 29,000 votes in the recent assembly elections.
Shortly after the BJP’s announcement, Rekha Gupta expressed her gratitude on X: “I express my heartfelt gratitude to all the top leadership for trusting me and entrusting me with the responsibility of the post of Chief Minister. This trust and support of yours has given me new energy and inspiration. I pledge that I will work with full honesty, integrity, and dedication for the welfare, empowerment, and overall development of every citizen of Delhi. I am fully committed to this important opportunity to take Delhi to new heights.”
–IANS
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