Bharatiya Janata Party leader Rekha Gupta on February 20 was sworn-in as Delhi Chief Minister in a grand ceremony at Ramlila Maidan. Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena administered the oath of office to Rekha Gupta and her council of ministers in the ceremony.
Six other Ministers, including Parvesh Sahib Singh, Ashish Sood, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Ravinder Indraj Singh, Kapil Mishra, and Pankaj Kumar Singh, also took the oath.
Bharatiya Janata Party’s top leadership, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Minister JP Nadda, and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, were present on the occasion.
Political journey of Rekha Gupta
Born in Haryana’s Jind and a lawyer by profession
President of Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) in 1996-1997
Elected as a councillor from Pitampura North in 2007. Elected to the municipal council two more times
Lost Delhi Assembly elections in 2015 and 2020
Elevated as the national vice-president of BJP’s Mahila Morcha
Multiple party leaders, including Union Ministers and CMs of neighbouring States, were present to attend the ceremony. Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis, Bihar Deputy CM Vijay Kumar Sinha, Rajasthan Deputy CM Prem Chand Bairwa, Goa CM Pramod Sawant, Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu and other leaders were also present at the spot.
Having risen from the ranks and served Delhi in different organisational capacities and as a councillor, Rekha Gupta is familiar with the issues and problems of the national capital. With the BJP’s election manifesto containing a slew of promises, she is expected to hit the ground running and adopt a hands-on approach. She will be the fourth woman Chief Minister of Delhi. The national capital has had women Chief Ministers from the BJP, Congress, and Aam Aadmi Party. An elected MLA from Shalimar Bagh seat, Rekha Gupta has served as General Secretary of BJP Mahila Morcha in Delhi and as a member of its National Executive Committee. In these roles, she initiated numerous campaigns for the welfare of marginaliSed communities and women. Rekha Gupta started her political journey with Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), a student body affiliated to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
Having studied at Delhi University’s Daulat Ram College, she became the President of the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) in 1996-97 and actively raised student issues. As a councillor from North Pitampura in 2007, she worked on developing basic facilities in the area, such as libraries and parks. She has also pursued an LLB and is the founder of the AAS, a NGO. She lost the mayoral election to AAP’s Shelly Oberoi in 2023.
A first-time MLA, Rekha Gupta, 50, was preferred over more senior leaders in Delhi BJP apparently because the party wanted a woman leader to assume the post. She is known to keep a low profile compared to some other leaders in Delhi BJP. Her name as next Delhi CM was announced after days of intense speculation about the possible choice. The results of Delhi Assembly polls were declared on February 8. With BJP stressing on women empowerment, Rekha Gupta’s elevation will help the party emphasise its credentials among women. She will be the only woman among the present BJP Chief Ministers.
List of ministers and their portfolios
Rekha Gupta (Chief Minister) – Finance, Planning, GAD, WCD, Services, Revenue, Land & Building, I&PR, Vigilance, AR.
Parvesh Verma – Public Works Department (PWD), Legislative Affairs, I&FC, Water, Gurudwara elections
Manjinder Singh Sirsa – Food and Supplies, Forest and Environment, Industries
Ravindra Kumar Indraj – Social welfare, SC/ST welfare, Cooperative and elections
Kapil Mishra – Law and Justice, Labour Department, Employment Department, Development, Art and Culture, Language Department, Tourism Department.
Ashish Sood – Home, Power, UD, Education, Higher Education, Training and Technical Education
After her election as leader of BJP legislature party, Rekha Gupta expressed her gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, party leadership and people of Delhi for the responsibility bestowed on her and said every moment of her life will spent in fulfilling it.
Rekha Gupta said that it is a “miracle” and a “new chapter” marking the beginning of a transformative chapter for women in politics. Speaking to the media, Gupta vowed to hold corrupt individuals accountable, asserting that they will have to answer for every rupee misused.
“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… Anyone who has been corrupt will have to give an account of each and every rupee,” she said. Further, she expressed gratitude to the Bharatiya Janata Party’s high command for trusting her to govern the national capital.
“It is a huge responsibility. I thank PM Modi and BJP high command for having faith in me… I will fulfil my responsibility with utmost honesty… My first priority is to complete all the commitments our party has made, and the second priority is that all our 48 MLAs will work as a team Modi. I never thought I would be a CM of Delhi,” Rekha Gupta said. The BJP won 48 seats in a historic mandate, ousting the Aam Aadmi Party from power.
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