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Rekha Gupta was officially sworn in as the 9th Chief Minister of Delhi in a grand ceremony at Ramlila Maidan on Thursday. She becomes the second woman to hold the Chief Minister’s office in Delhi from the BJP and the fourth woman to ever hold the position in the national capital.
On Friday, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta held a meeting with officials from the PWD and Jal Board to address issues like potholes and other concerns. She expressed her gratitude to her supporters and highlighted that the Delhi government had approved the Ayushman Bharat scheme in its first cabinet meeting, a scheme that was previously blocked by the AAP.
Speaking to the media, CM Gupta emphasized that the cabinet had also addressed several other issues. “In our cabinet meeting yesterday, we approved the Ayushman Bharat scheme, which the AAP had blocked. It will soon be accessible to the public. Today, we have invited PWD and Jal Board officials for a meeting to discuss the pothole issue,” she said.
The new CM was warmly greeted by large crowds outside her residence in Shalimar Bagh, where people came with flowers and garlands to congratulate her.
Rekha Gupta was sworn in as Delhi’s Chief Minister following a grand ceremony at Ramlila Maidan on Thursday. She is the second BJP woman leader to serve as Delhi’s CM and the fourth woman to hold this office in the capital. Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena administered the oath of office to Rekha Gupta and her council of ministers, which included six other ministers: Parvesh Verma, Ashish Sood, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Ravinder Indraj Singh, Kapil Mishra, and Pankaj Kumar Singh.
Representing Shalimar Bagh, Rekha Gupta has previously served as the general secretary of the BJP Mahila Morcha in Delhi and as a member of its national executive committee. Throughout her career, she has been actively involved in initiatives for the welfare of marginalized communities and women.
Rekha Gupta’s political journey began with Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), a student organization linked to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). She earned a degree from Delhi University’s Daulat Ram College and became the President of the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) in 1996-97, where she actively campaigned on student issues. In 2007, she was elected as a councillor from North Pitampura, where she focused on improving local facilities such as libraries and parks. She later pursued an LLB and founded the AAS NGO.
Though she lost the 2023 mayoral election to AAP’s Shelly Oberoi, Rekha Gupta, 50, was chosen as the Delhi BJP’s Chief Minister candidate over more senior leaders. The party’s decision to select a woman leader for the post was seen as a strategic move. Despite being a relatively low-profile figure compared to other leaders in the Delhi BJP, her name was announced after much speculation regarding the next CM.
