New Delhi [India]: The first session of the eighth legislative assembly of Delhi is set to begin today. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta will move a motion to nominate Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Vijender Gupta as the Speaker of the House.
The election for the Speaker’s position is scheduled for 2:00 PM, while the newly elected MLAs will take their oaths at 11:00 AM.
Meanwhile, Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena has appointed BJP leader Arvinder Singh Lovely as the protem speaker for the session.
According to the Delhi Assembly bulletin, Lieutenant Governor (LG) VK Saxena will address the assembly on February 25. Following his speech, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) reports will be tabled. Later that day, the floor will be opened for a motion of thanks on the LG’s address. The discussion on the motion of thanks will commence on February 26 at 11:00 AM, followed by the election of the Deputy Speaker.
CM Rekha Gupta Targets Previous Government Over Spending
Speaking about the upcoming session, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta announced that the CAG reports will be presented during the three-day assembly session. She accused the previous government of misusing public funds and vowed to hold them accountable.
“We remain true to the commitments we made for Delhi, and they will be fulfilled,” Gupta said.
She further emphasized, “The most important thing is coming. We said that the CAG report should be put on the House table in the first session. This is people’s hard-earned money, which the previous government misused. They will have to account for each penny before the people.”
Gupta, who took oath as Chief Minister on Thursday, wasted no time in making key decisions. In her first cabinet meeting, she announced the implementation of the Ayushman Bharat scheme with a ₹5 lakh top-up and the tabling of 14 pending CAG reports in the Assembly.
Atishi Becomes Leader of Opposition as AAP Moves to Opposition for First Time
In a major political shift, former Chief Minister Atishi has been elected as the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Delhi legislative assembly. Her selection came after a meeting of AAP MLAs, where senior party leader Gopal Rai made the announcement.
This marks a historic change in Delhi’s political landscape. After 27 years, the BJP has secured power in the capital by winning 48 out of 70 Assembly seats. The AAP, which had held over 60 seats in the House for the past decade, now finds itself in the Opposition for the first time.