From Sanskrit to English and Maithili to Punjabi, the first session of the newly constituted eighth Delhi Legislative Assembly began on Monday with MLAs of the ruling BJP and opposition AAP demonstrating the linguistic diversity of the legislature by taking their oaths in six languages including — Hindi, English, Sanskrit, Urdu, Maithili and Punjabi.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, along with Cabinet ministers, and other Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs), took oath in the House, in the presence of Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva and pro-tem Speaker Arvinder Singh Lovely, as the first session of the Assembly began on Monday.
Gupta arrived at the Delhi Assembly with confidence, flashing a victory sign was the first to take the oath, followed by her six Cabinet ministers. With her appointment, Rekha Gupta has become the fourth woman Chief Minister of Delhi, following Sheila Dikshit, Sushma Swaraj, and Atishi. She is also the fourth BJP leader to assume the role, succeeding Madan Lal Khurana, Sahib Singh Verma, and Sushma Swaraj.
Delhi PWD Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma and Home Minister Ashish Sood were the next in line. Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa took his oath in Punjabi, while Law and Justice Minister Kapil Mishra opted for Sanskrit. The session also marked the BJP's return to power after 26 years and its shift to the right side of the Speaker's chair.
BJP MLA Arvinder Singh Lovely was sworn in as the pro-tem Speaker of the eighth Assembly and administered the oath by Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena at the Raj Niwas before the session began. As the senior-most legislator, Lovely oversaw the swearing-in of all newly elected MLAs.
Several other MLAs took oaths in different languages. Karnail Singh took oath in Punjabi, while Pradyumn Rajput and Neelam Pahalwan chose Sanskrit. BJP's Tarvinder Marwah chanted religious slogans after reading the printed text, to which the Speaker objected, reminding him that it was not a Gurudwara. Amanatullah Khan (Urdu), Chandan Chaudhary (Maithili), Ajay Dutt (English), and Gajendra Yadav (Sanskrit) also took their oaths, with the Speaker consistently instructing members to follow the official oath format.
Other MLAs who took their oaths in Sanskrit included Sanjay Goel, Jitendra Mahajan, Ajay Mahawar, and BJP's Karnail Singh, while Chaudhary Zubair and Amanatullah Khan chose Urdu. Leader of Opposition and MLA from the Kalkaji seat, Atishi also took oath. Gopal Rai, due to difficulty in walking, took the oath from his seat, assisted by Atishi. Mohan Singh Bisht was the last MLA to be sworn in. AAP MLA Anil Jha took his oath in Maithili.
The proceedings began with legislators singing Vande Mataram. Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva was present in the Speaker's gallery to witness the session.
The election for the new Speaker is set to take place later in the day, with BJP MLA Vijender Gupta likely to assume the position.
The BJP secured a decisive victory in the February 5 Assembly elections, winning 48 of the 70 seats and ending the decade-long rule of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which won 22 seats.
