Rekha Gupta assumes office as Delhi Chief Minister

New Delhi [India], February 20 (ANI): Hours after taking the oath as Chief Minister of Delhi, BJP leader Rekha Gupta formally assumed charge of her office in the Secretariat here on Thursday.
She is the second woman Chief Minister belonging to the BJP in Delhi and the fourth woman Chief Minister in the national capital.
The Chief Minister will visit Vasudev Ghat, Yamuna Bazaar, and later chair the first meeting of her cabinet.
Rekha Gupta 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.
Six other ministers - Parvesh Verma, Ashish Sood, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Ravinder Indraj Singh, Kapil Mishra, and Pankaj Kumar Singh, also took oath of office.
Bharatiya Janata Party's top leadership, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Health Minister and BJP chief JP Nadda, and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh were present on the occasion.
Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis, Goa CM Pramod Sawant, Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu, Bihar Deputy CM Vijay Kumar Sinha and Rajasthan Deputy CM Prem Chand Bairwa were among those present.
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.
The national capital has had women Chief Ministers from the BJP, Congress, and Aam Aadmi Party. Elected from the 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 marginalized 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 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 the next Delhi CM was announced after days of intense speculation about the possible choice. The results of the 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. After her election as leader of the BJP legislature party, Rekha Gupta expressed her gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the party leadership and the people of Delhi for the responsibility bestowed on her. She 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, she 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. (ANI)