BJP's Vijender Gupta appointed leader of opposition in Delhi

Bharatiya Janata Party Rohini legislator Vijender Gupta was on Thursday appointed the leader of opposition in the Delhi assembly, an official statement said.

"The speaker has recognized Vijender Gupta who is the leader of the house of the party in opposition to the government having the greatest numerical strength as leader of opposition in the legislative assembly with immediate effect," a statement by the Delhi Legislative Assembly Secretariat said.

"Recognised as LOP (leader of opposition) as per Sec 2 of the Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly of the NCT of Delhi Act,2001," Gupta, one of the just three Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators in the house, tweeted.

The BJP won only three seats in the Feb 7 polls which is less than a tenth of the total strength of 70 of the Delhi assembly. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) won 67 seats.

However, the BJP had on February 18 appointed Gupta as the leader of opposition in the Delhi assembly, despite the party's failure to win the required seven seats to claim the status of the main opposition party.

A former BJP state president, Gupta defeated AAP's C.L. Gupta by around 5,000 votes.