Rekha Gupta to steer Delhi’s future
New Delhi: Rekha Gupta has been appointed as the new chief minister of Delhi, marking the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) return to power in the national capital after 26 years. The announcement was made on Wednesday following a meeting of the BJP legislature party, where Gupta was elected as the Leader of the House in the Delhi Assembly. This development ends the decade-long rule of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) led by Arvind Kejriwal.
Gupta, 50, was accompanied by senior BJP leaders Ravi Shankar Prasad, O P Dhankar, and Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva as she met Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena to stake her claim to form the government. She and her Cabinet ministers are set to take the oath of office on Thursday at Ramlila Ground.
Gupta becomes the fourth woman chief minister of Delhi, following Sushma Swaraj, Sheila Dikshit, and Atishi. She will also be one of two incumbent women chief ministers in the country alongside Mamata Banerjee and the only woman chief minister in a BJP-ruled state at present.
While there has been no official confirmation on whether there will be a deputy chief minister, party sources have indicated that the Cabinet will reflect diverse community representation. According to party sources Delhi MLA Parvesh Verma, who defeated AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal, will take office as Deputy Chief Minister, while Rohini MLA Vijender Gupta has been appointed as the Speaker of the Delhi Assembly.
By selecting Gupta, the BJP has also reinforced its commitment to women’s empowerment and leadership. Her selection is expected to strengthen the party’s outreach among women voters and urban middle-class citizens, who have been key stakeholders in Delhi’s political landscape.
Gupta was elected from the Shalimar Bagh constituency, defeating AAP candidate Bandana Kumari by a margin exceeding 29,000 votes in the February 5 Assembly elections.
The decision to elect Gupta as chief minister was finalised during the BJP legislature party meeting attended by all 48 newly elected BJP MLAs. Central observers Ravi Shankar Prasad and O P Dhankar were present at the meeting, where senior BJP leaders Parvesh Verma, Vijender Gupta, and Satish Upadhyay proposed her name. The announcement was made 11 days after the results of the Delhi Assembly polls were declared on February 8.
Expressing gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the party leadership, Gupta stated that she is committed to working with honesty and dedication for the people of Delhi. “I am fully committed to this important opportunity to take Delhi to new heights,” she said in a post on X. “I express my heartfelt gratitude to all the top leadership for trusting me and entrusting me with the responsibility of the post of chief minister. This trust and support of yours has given me new energy and inspiration.”
In the recent elections, the BJP secured 48 of the 70 Assembly seats, while AAP won 22 seats, and the Congress failed to open its account. Gupta, a former president of the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) and an ex-councillor, has been actively involved in politics since her student days.
Born in Julana, Haryana, she holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Delhi University’s Daulat Ram College. She later obtained a law degree from Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut, and practiced as an advocate. She started her political career with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) in 1992, serving as the secretary of the Delhi University Students’ Union in 1995-96 and its president in 1996-97. She has close ties with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and has been actively engaged in women-related matters as the national vice president of the BJP Mahila Morcha.
Her oath-taking ceremony is expected to be attended by nearly 50,000 people, including Prime Minister Modi, Union ministers, and chief ministers of National Democratic Alliance (NDA)-ruled states. More than 25,000 security personnel will be deployed across central, north, and New Delhi areas to ensure safety during the event.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah extended his congratulations to Gupta, stating that the BJP government under her leadership will work diligently to meet the expectations of Delhi’s citizens.
Outgoing Chief Minister Atishi and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal also congratulated Gupta. Atishi expressed hope that the new chief minister would fulfill the BJP’s electoral promises. “I want to tell the new CM that the AAP will always stand with her for the development of Delhi. It’s good news that a woman is going to lead a state. At present, barring Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal, no woman is a chief minister. I also hope that Rekha Gupta will soon fulfil the BJP’s promise of providing Rs 2,500 to women,” she said.
Kejriwal also conveyed his best wishes on social media. “Many congratulations to Rekha Gupta ji on becoming the chief minister of Delhi. I hope she will fulfil all the promises made to the people of Delhi. We will support her in every effort for the development and welfare of the people of Delhi,” he wrote on X.
