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Congress leader Alka Lamba has shared her memories from 30 years ago with Delhi Chief Minister-elect Rekha Gupta, who is set to take the oath of office at a grand ceremony today. The two leaders - one from BJP and the other from Congress - had worked alongside each other for a year in 1995.
Ms Lamba won the Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) elections in 1995 and became its president from the National Students' Union of India (NSUI) and Ms Gupta was elected as general secretary of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) in the same year.
"When it was announced that Rekha Gupta will become the Chief Minister of Delhi, I went back 30 years. I remembered how we took the oath together. We spent one year working together...She was from ABVP, I was from NSUI. We had major ideological fights. She used to bring people from the BJP for lectures in college, I brought people with a Gandhi ideology," Ms Lamba told News Agency.
The Congress leader even shared a three-decade-old photo of the two taking oath at an event. "This memorable photo from 1995 - when Rekha Gupta and I took oath together. I won the Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) Adhyaksh post from NSUI and Rekha won the MahaSachiv post from ABVP. Congratulations," she captioned it.
1995 की यह यादगार तस्वीर - जब मैंने और रेखा गुप्ता ने एक साथ शपथ ग्रहण की थी-
मैंने @nsui से दिल्ली विश्वविद्यालय छात्र संघ (DUSU) #अध्यक्ष पद पर जीत हासिल की थी और रेखा ने #ABVP से #महासचिव पद पर जीत हासिल की थी- रेखा गुप्ता को बधाई और शुभकामनाएँ.
दिल्ली को चौथी महिला… pic.twitter.com/csM1Rmwu9y
— Alka Lamba 🇮🇳 (@LambaAlka) February 19, 2025
However, Ms Lamba said that she met the Delhi Chief Minister-elect last in 1995.
"We did not meet after that as she became a councillor, I did not. The last time I met her was 30 years ago," she said.
The Congress leader praised Ms Gupta for getting the top position in the national capital. "I want her to succeed. But, there will be challenges for her within the BJP itself. Parvesh Verma was thinking he would become the Chief Minister...I hope BJP will give her the full five years of this position," she said.
"We have seen her aggressively vandalise the podium and microphone during the election for the members of the Standing Committee in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) House. Now she is a Chief Minister. Running the assembly is a big responsibility. I think, if she wants to do it, she can do it well," Ms Lamba added.
Ms Gupta, will be the fourth Chief Minister from the BJP in Delhi and also only the fourth woman to hold the position in the national capital.
"When a woman becomes a Chief Minister, there is hope that the state would become safe for women. Not just this, there should be financial and social empowerment as well for women. I'm happy that Delhi has got a woman Chief Minister again," Ms Lamba, who had contested and lost against AAP leader and outgoing chief minister Atishi in the February 5 Delhi assembly election, said.
Ms Gupta, who won from Shalimar Bagh defeating AAP candidate Bandana Kumari in the assembly elections, will be sworn in today at a grand ceremony at the Ramlila ground in Delhi. The event will be attended by Chief Ministers and Deputy Chief Ministers of 20 states, as well as BJP leaders and workers from other states who campaigned in the Delhi elections.