New Delhi : BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj expressed confidence that Delhi Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Rekha Gupta would write a new chapter of development under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Bansuri Swaraj said, "She will write a new chapter of development under the leadership of PM Modi. She will embark on a new step of women-led development. It is a very emotional day and my mother, Sushma Swaraj, is surely blessing Rekha Gupta. Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam is set to be implemented and 18th Lok Sabha will be last in which women's representation will be less. Every party has to implement 33 percent women reservation from 19th Lok Sabha."
BJP leader Rekha Gupta was on Thursday 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.
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 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 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.