In a surprising move, the BJP appointed first-time MLA Rekha Gupta as Delhi’s new chief minister, with her inauguration scheduled for Thursday at Ramlila Maidan. Gupta will be the fourth woman to hold this office in Delhi, following Sushma Swaraj, Sheila Dikshit, and Atishi. This decision aims to enhance gender representation and challenge the Trinamool Congress’s claim of West Bengal being the only state with a female leader.
Gupta’s Vaishya background connects her to 8% of Delhi voters focused on business. Her appointment aims to appeal to the broader business class, constituting 30% of Delhi. This move could also help BJP increase influence in Bihar among OBC voters, who make up 63% of the electorate historically aligned with Rashtriya Janata Dal.
Gupta’s appointment has strategic implications beyond Bihar to Uttar Pradesh, where 52% of voters are OBCs. The BJP aims to gain support among non-Yadav OBC communities by having Gupta in Delhi. Her ties with the RSS further boost her standing in BJP circles.
Rekha Gupta, born on July 19, 1974 in Julana, Haryana, was influenced by the RSS from an early age. She started her political journey in 1992 with the ABVP at Daulat Ram College, Delhi University. Gupta later became president of DUSU in 1999 and then general secretary of Delhi BJP Mahila Morcha.
Rekha held various roles in local government, including serving as Chairperson of the Women’s Welfare and Child Development Committee MCD from 2007-2009. She was elected as a councillor in 2007 and 2012 and also served as the mayor of South Delhi Municipal Corporation, although she lost the MCD mayoral elections in 2023. Recently, she won the Shalimar Bagh constituency election by 29,595 votes, defeating AAP’s Bandana Kumari and Congress’s Parveen Kumar Jain.
Sources News From Various Digital Platforms, Websites, Journalists, And Agencies.
Leave a Reply