Gupta will be the fourth woman CM of Delhi after Sushma Swaraj (BJP), Sheila Dikshit (Congress), and Atishi (AAP)
NEW DELHI, Feb 19: The long suspense over ‘who will be the next Delhi Chief Minister’ ended on Wednesday evening with first-time MLA Rekha Gupta being chosen as the leader of the BJP legislature party, paving the way for her to take over the post.
Gupta, the MLA from Shalimar Bagh, was chosen at a meeting of the BJP legislature party at the state party office at Pant Marg this evening, under the supervision of two central observers – former Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and BJP national Secretary Om Prakash Dhankhar.
As the meeting began to elect the BJP legislature party leader, there was intense speculation about a woman legislator taking over the mantle.
Even before the announcement of her name, celebrations had broken out at the house of Gupta, a former Delhi University Students Union President and municipal councillor.
After being chosen by the BJP legislators, Gupta is slated to head to the Raj Niwas, where she will meet Lt Governor V.K. Saxena and stake claim to form the next government.
The new Chief Minister will take oath at a grand swearing-in ceremony at the city’s iconic Ramlila Maidan at noon today. The new CM will be administered the oath of office and secrecy by Lt Governor Saxena, amidst the presence of top BJP brass and leaders of allied parties on the dais. A gathering of car drivers, auto drivers and slum-dwellers will be among the key bunch of people who will garner attention at the oath-taking ceremony.
The oath-taking ceremony will take place from 11 a.m. to 12.34 p.m., with the Chief Minister’s swearing-in set for 12.05 p.m. The event will be attended by several key political figures, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena, along with over 200 BJP MPs and MLAs, and invited religious leaders.
The BJP, which had been out of power in Delhi since 1998, won a convincing victory in the 2025 Assembly elections, winning 48 seats in the 70-member Assembly, and reducing the AAP to 22.
Born on July 19, 1974, in Nandgarh village of Jind district in Haryana, Rakha Gupta’s father served as a bank officer. In 1976, the family moved to Delhi when Gupta was just two years old. She grew up and completed her education in the capital city, where her strong academic background laid the foundation for her future political career.
Gupta’s entry into politics began during her student years. As a student at Delhi University, she joined the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the RSS.
Her active involvement in student politics led to her election as the President of Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) for the 1996-1997 term. She also served as the Secretary of Dyal Singh College and was deeply engaged in student activism, which propelled her further into public life.
Rekha Gupta’s political career with the BJP began in the early 2000s. She joined the party’s youth wing, the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), and held the role of secretary in the Delhi unit. Gupta’s leadership skills were quickly recognised, and she was appointed the National Secretary of BJYM from 2004 to 2006. Her strong organisational abilities and dedication to the party’s mission helped her gain prominence within the BJP ranks.
In 2007, Gupta was elected as a councillor in the MCD elections, representing the North Pitampura constituency. She went on to serve as the President of the Women’s Welfare and Child Development Committee in MCD from 2007 to 2009. She also held several other key positions, including General Secretary of the Delhi BJP Women’s Wing, and National Executive Member of the party.
Despite her sound political exposure, Gupta also faced sizeable challenges in her electoral journey. She contested the Shalimar Bagh seat in both the 2015 and 2020 Delhi Assembly elections but was defeated by AAP’s Bandana Kumari in both years.
However, Gupta’s persistence and unwavering commitment to her constituents paid off in 2025 when she triumphed in the Shalimar Bagh seat, reclaiming it with a decisive victory. (IANS)