Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has named Rekha Gupta, a former student leader, as Delhi’s chief minister after winning the legislative assembly election earlier this month.
The prime minister’s party returned to power in Delhi after 27 years, taking 48 of the state’s 70 legislative seats to oust the Aam Aadmi Party of Arvind Kejriwal.
Ms Gupta is set to be sworn in as chief minister on 20 February. “It is a miracle, it is a new motivation and a new chapter. If I can be the CM, this means ways are open for all the women,” Ms Gupta told the news agency ANI on Thursday.
Ms Gupta secured a decisive victory in this month’s assembly election, her first, winning the Shalimar Bagh constituency by 29,595 votes over AAP’s Bandana Kumari.
She thanked her party and pledged to work diligently to address Delhi’s many challenges such as air and river pollution and an urban infrastructure in urgent need of improvement.
In its campaign manifesto, the BJP promised to upgrade Delhi’s public schools, provide free healthcare and electricity and give a monthly stipend of Rs 2,500 ($29) to underprivileged women in the capital.
“There is only one priority: the commitments we have made to Delhi, the dream PM Modi has for Delhi, fulfilling it is my first and foremost priority,” Ms Gupta said. “We have staked claim to form government. Every single promise made to people of Delhi will be fulfilled in a time-bound manner.”
She also promised to combat corruption in government. “Anyone who has been corrupt will have to give an account of each and every rupee,” she said.
#WATCH | Delhi CM-designate Rekha Gupta shows a victory sign and accepts the greetings of people as she leaves from her residence. pic.twitter.com/LDCQZAICBb
— ANI (@ANI) February 20, 2025
Ms Gupta, 50, was born in Nandgarh village of northern Haryana state’s Jind region and moved to Delhi with her parents when she was two. Her father worked for the State Bank of India.
Ms Gupta started her political career in 1993 at Daulat Ram College where she joined the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, the student wing of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the mothership of Hindu nationalist organisations including the BJP.
She went on to serve as the general secretary of the Delhi University Students Union from 1995 to 1996, and as its president from 1996 to 1997.
क्या अराजकता फैलाने वाली महिला को दिल्ली के ऊपर मुख्यमंत्री के रूप में थोप दिया गया है ⁉️🥴 pic.twitter.com/DZusVFjpCo
— देवस्य प्रताप सिंह (@drdewasya) February 19, 2025
After leaving university with a master’s in management and arts, she formally joined the BJP and went on to serve as the general secretary of its Delhi chapter’s Mahila Morcha, or women’s wing. She was later appointed vice chairperson of the party’s national Mahila Morcha.
Ms Gupta entered electoral politics in 2007, winning the Municipal Corporation of Delhi election and becoming chair of its women’s welfare and child development committee. She was re-elected in 2012 and became vice-chairperson of the corporation’s key financial decision-making body.
From 2012 to 2013, she also held the role of education secretary of the New Delhi Municipal Council.
Congress' Alka Lamba shares memorable photo with Rekha Gupta, congratulates Delhi on its fourth woman CM
— ANI Digital (@ani_digital) February 19, 2025
Read @ANI Story | https://t.co/ULfpcSY5yf#AlkaLamba #DelhiCM #RekhaGupta pic.twitter.com/J3IdMJhOyK
Ms Gupta will be Delhi’s fourth woman chief minister, a milestone in Indian politics where women in senior leadership roles are rare. There’s currently only one other woman chief minister in the country – All India Trinamool Congress party leader Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal.
The BJP’s decision to pick Ms Gupta as chief minister over frontrunner Parvesh Verma surprised pundits and party members, the Business Standard reported.
In spite of being a first-time legislator, Ms Gupta has considerable political experience as student leader and municipal councillor which helped her selection, the paper noted.
At the same time, Mr Verma’s political lineage – he is the son of former chief minister Sahib Singh Verma – may have worked against him given the BJP’s stance on dynastic politics.
After Ms Gupta’s selection was announced, an old clip of her seemingly vandalising property inside the Municipal Corporation of Delhi office began circulating on social media.
“She just became the new CM of Delhi. Good luck to the people of Delhi,” a user mocked.
