Rekha Gupta, a debutante MLA from Shalimar Bagh, has been chosen to be Delhi’s next Chief Minister, the Bharatiya Janata Party announced after a Delhi legislative party meeting at its national headquarters. Ms. Gupta, 50, will be the fourth woman to head the government in the State, following the BJP’s Sushma Swaraj, the Congress’s Sheila Dikshit, and the AAP’s Atishi. The announcement comes nearly 10 days after the BJP returned to power in the national capital after 26 years, winning 48 out of 70 seats in the Delhi Assembly election.

The party is yet to announce its picks for ministerial berths. Ms. Gupta, a three-time Municipal Councillor who was active in student politics, was a surprise choice. She beat out a number of other probable candidates, including Pravesh Sahib Singh who had defeated Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal in the New Delhi seat, three-term MLA and former leader of the Opposition Vijender Gupta, and former Delhi BJP President Satish Upadhyay. After the legislative party meeting ended, senior BJP leaders accompanied Ms. Gupta to Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena’s residence so she could stake her claim to form the government.

The oath-taking ceremony, set to take place at the Ramlila Maidan on February 20, will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, top BJP leaders, and the Chief Ministers of NDA-ruled States. Ms. Gupta’s selection by the legislative party was overseen by two centrally appointed observers, senior BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad, and former Haryana MLA O.P. Dhankar. BJP sources said that nine proposals were made in her favour, and all were approved by consensus. Three MLAs supported her claim to become the leader of the Delhi BJP’s legislative party. The meeting was attended by all 48 MLAs-elect, as well as Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva and other senior Delhi BJP leaders. Ms. Gupta is an active member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, and has completed three terms as a councillor in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi.

She started her political journey with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, the RSS student wing, and was president of the Delhi University Students Association in 1996. In this month’s Assembly election, Ms. Gupta defeated three-time AAP MLA Bandana Kumari by a margin of 29,595 votes. Former Chief Minister and AAP supremo Mr. Kejriwal posted a congratulatory message to Ms. Gupta, saying that he hopes she will fulfil all the promises made to the people of Delhi. The Delhi Assembly election witnessed the BJP's stunning comeback to the national capital, with the party winning 48 seats. Ms. Gupta will take the oath of office on Thursday at Ramlila Maidan, marking the beginning of a new era in Delhi's politics, with a focus on development and welfare of the citizens.

Here are some key points about Rekha Gupta's appointment as Delhi's next Chief Minister: * She will be the fourth woman Chief Minister of Delhi * She defeated three-time AAP MLA Bandana Kumari by a margin of 29,595 votes * She is an active member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh * She has completed three terms as a councillor in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi * She started her political journey with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, the RSS student wing * She was president of the Delhi University Students Association in 1996 * The oath-taking ceremony will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, top BJP leaders, and the Chief Ministers of NDA-ruled States.