The first session of the newly constituted Delhi Assembly commenced on Monday, with Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and her six cabinet ministers taking the oath as MLAs. The session began with the swearing-in ceremony, led by BJP MLA Arvinder Singh Lovely, who was appointed as the pro-tem Speaker. He was administered the oath by Lieutenant Governor (LG) Vinai Kumar Saxena at the Raj Niwas before the session started.
Swearing-in Ceremony
CM Rekha Gupta was the first to take the oath, followed by her cabinet ministers and other newly elected MLAs. Some legislators took their oaths in different languages—Kapil Mishra (BJP) in Sanskrit, Sanjeev Jha (AAP) in Maithili, and Manjinder Singh Sirsa (BJP) in Punjabi. The assembly proceedings commenced with the legislators singing Vande Mataram. Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva was also present in the Speaker’s gallery to witness the session.
Election for Speaker and CAG Reports
The election for the new Speaker is set to take place later in the day, with BJP MLA Vijender Gupta expected to assume the role. Meanwhile, the assembly bulletin mentioned that LG Saxena will address the house on February 25, following which the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) reports will be tabled.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta emphasized the importance of presenting the CAG report in the first session, stating, “This is the hard-earned money of the people, which the previous government misused. They will have to account for each penny before the people.”
Atishi Becomes Leader of Opposition
On Sunday, AAP MLAs unanimously selected former Chief Minister Atishi as the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Delhi Assembly, making her the first woman to hold the position. AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal was present during the decision-making meeting of the party’s 22 MLAs.
Addressing a press conference, AAP’s Delhi unit convenor Gopal Rai confirmed Atishi’s selection, stating that the party would play a strong opposition role in the assembly.
Sources By Agencies