The Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Legislative Party on Wednesday (Feb 19) elected Rekha Gupta as its leader. She is set to become the chief minister of Delhi, with a grand oath-taking ceremony scheduled on Thursday (Feb 20).

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BJP Delhi posted on X, “Hearty congratulations and best wishes to Mrs. Rekha Gupta ji on being elected the leader of the Delhi BJP Legislative Party. We have full faith that the state will progress under your leadership.”

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“Committed to taking Delhi to new heights,” Rekha Gupta said shortly after being elected as the new Delhi Chief Minister. She further vowed to work with “full honesty, integrity, and dedication for the welfare, empowerment, and overall development of every citizen of Delhi.”

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Who is Rekha Gupta?

Rekha Gupta, 50, will become the second woman from the BJP to hold the post of chief minister of Delhi. A first-time MLA, Gupta contested the Shalimar Bagh constituency in the Delhi assembly elections against AAP's Bandana Kumari and won by 29,595 votes, marking the end of AAP’s decade-long hold in the area.

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Born in 1974, Gupta hails from Nandgarh village in Haryana’s Jind district. In 1976, her family moved to Delhi, where she completed her primary and higher education. Her father was an officer in the State Bank of India.

A lawyer by profession, Gupta began her political career in 1992 when she joined the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) at Daulat Ram College, Delhi University. She became President of the Delhi University Students' Union (DUSU) in 1996-97.

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In 2007, she won the Delhi Councillor elections from North Pitampura. She launched the “Sumedha Yojana” to support economically weaker female students in higher education. She also led initiatives for women’s empowerment as Chair of the Women Welfare and Child Development Committee.

Gupta has also served as General Secretary of BJP Mahila Morcha in Delhi and was part of its national executive committee.

(With inputs from agencies)