In a groundbreaking gesture, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has named first-time MLA Rekha Gupta the Chief Minister of Delhi, making her the fourth woman to ever serve in the prestigious post of capital. Gupta’s path from student leader to the city’s top political office, born in Nandgarh village, Jind district, Haryana, in 1974, is impressive and remarkable. The newly appointed Chief Minister of Delhi, Rekha Gupta, will take oath today at Ram Leela Maidan, New Delhi.
Early Years and Learning
Rekha Gupta spent her early years in Haryana. She was two years old when they moved to Delhi. Her father, Jai Bhagwan, was a bank manager at the State Bank of India, and Urmila Jindal, her mother, was a homemaker. With a Bachelor of Commerce degree, Gupta studied at Delhi University’s Daulat Ram College. In 1992, she joined the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) due to her strong participation in student politics.
Showing leadership and determination, she became the General Secretary of the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) in 1995 and graduated as President in 1996-97. Throughout her period, she was known for championing student affairs and welfare.
Political Journey of Rekha Gupta
Her election as a councilor from North Pitampura started Gupta’s change from student politics to more general political involvement in 2007. In this job, she made much of building local infrastructure, including but not limited to libraries, parks, and swimming pools.
She was passionate about social service, and this led her to start the “Sumedha Yojana,” which was a project meant to help poor women pupils to advance their education. She headed several initiatives focused on women’s empowerment and child growth as Chairperson of the Women Welfare and Child Development Committee.
Gupta has had many important roles within the BJP. Having been a member of its national executive committee, she acted as the General Secretary of the party’s Mahila Morcha in Delhi. Her repeated efforts and leadership traits led to her election as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) from the Shalimar Bagh constituency in the 2021 Delhi polls. She won this competition by more than 29,000 votes over Bana Kumari of Aam Aadmi Party.
Personal and Family Life
Rekha Gupta has strong family support in her home life. She was married to Manish Gupta, a businessman linked with Kotak Life Insurance and involved in business projects, in 1998. They have two children, a son studying for an engineering degree in Vellore and a daughter finishing her post-graduation in Australia.
Her family’s unrelenting backing has been a linchpin of her political trajectory.
Showing appreciation, her husband said, “Great thanks go out to the entire party leadership, Home Minister Amit Shahji, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for their trust in Rekha ji.”
Community and Hereditary Origins
In Nandgarh, her past village, Gupta’s appointment as Chief Minister has brought great honor. Residents rejoiced the news, stressing the family’s long connection with the region. Operating a store called Gangaram-Kashiram, Maniram Jindal was a well-known merchant in Julana.
