New Delhi: BJP leader and MLA Rohini Vijender Gupta has been appointed as the new Speaker of the Delhi Assembly, while Mohan Singh Bisht, who recently won from the Mustafabad constituency, will serve as the Deputy Speaker, as announced by party leaders on Thursday.
Vijendra Gupta expressed gratitude for the appointment and emphasized his commitment to fulfilling his duties, stating his intention to ensure healthy discussions in the House. He plans to table pending CAG reports from the previous AAP government in the Assembly.
Who Is Vijender Gupta?
Vijender Gupta, a third-term legislator and former Leader of the Opposition, won his Rohini seat by over 37,000 votes against AAP’s Pradeep Mittal. The BJP holds 48 seats in the reconstituted 8th Delhi Assembly, while the AAP has 22. Gupta has previously held leadership roles within the Delhi BJP and the Delhi Development Authority.
In an exclusive interview with IANS, Vijender Gupta announced his appointment as the Assembly Speaker following the BJP's return to power in Delhi after 27 years. Expressing his joy at this historic moment, he congratulated Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and her ministers. He emphasized his commitment to ensuring the Assembly operates under its laws and specified that his first action as Speaker will be to present the CAG report to the Assembly.
In interview with PTI, BJP MLA and soon to be Speaker of Delhi Assembly expressed gratitude to the party for giving him the responsibility of becoming the speaker of the Delhi Assembly and promised to fulfil his responsibility. He stated that he looks forward to have 'healthy discussions' in the Assembly house.
Delhi's New CM Rekha Gupta
The announcements came shortly before BJP’s Rekha Gupta was to be sworn in as Delhi's Chief Minister, alongside six ministers. Rekha Gupta will become the fourth woman Chief Minister of Delhi, taking over from AAP’s Atishi. The BJP's historic win marks their return to governance in the national capital after 27 years, winning 48 out of 70 assembly seats, while AAP could only secure 22 and Congress failed to win any seats. Gupta's first action in his new role will be to address the CAG reports in the upcoming assembly session.
CM-designate Rekha Gupta emphasized that the previous AAP government would be held accountable for its corruption cases. Minister-designate Manjinder Singh Sirsa echoed this sentiment, asserting that corruption will be exposed and culprits imprisoned, revealing plans to swiftly process the CAG report. The report highlighted significant financial losses tied to irregularities in the excise policy, detailing violations in quality control, licensing, pricing, and enforcement during the period from 2017 to 2022.
BJP MLA Vijendra Gupta removed from house | X (@indiantweeter)
Why Was Vijendra Gupta 'Thrown Out' Of The House 10 Years Back?
Vijender Gupta, poised to become the Speaker of the Delhi Assembly, was previously marshalled out from the House while serving as the Opposition Leader in 2015.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) held a commanding majority with 67 MLAs out of 70. The former Speaker Ram Niwas Goel first instructed Gupta to exit the House until 4 pm after he engaged in a verbal dispute with AAP’s female legislators regarding a week-old matter. Once Gupta declined, marshals were summoned to forcibly remove him.
