Delhi CM announcement: First-time Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Rekha Gupta has been named as the new Chief Minister of Delhi. She was chosen as the Leader of the House in the Delhi Assembly at the BJP legislature party meeting.
Delhi CM announcement: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Rekha Gupta has been appointed as the next Chief Minister of Delhi following a crucial BJP legislature party meeting held at the party’s Delhi unit office on Wednesday evening. With this announcement, she becomes the second leader from the Shalimar Bagh constituency to hold the top post in the national capital.
Earlier, Sahib Singh Verma had served as Delhi’s Chief Minister from 1996 to 1998, representing the same constituency. Notably, Sahib Singh Verma was the father of BJP leader Parvesh Verma who is the incumbent MLA from the New Delhi constituency. 50-year-old Gupta’s appointment not only marks a significant political development but also highlights Shalimar Bagh’s growing influence in the city’s leadership.
Interestingly, Shalimar Bagh is now the second Delhi constituency to have produced two Chief Ministers. The first was the New Delhi constituency, which saw two prominent leaders — Congress’ Sheila Dikshit and Aam Aadmi Party’s Arvind Kejriwal — rise to the position. Dikshit led Delhi for a record 15 years from 1998, while Kejriwal held the post for a decade from 2014 to 2024.
Who is Rekha Gupta?
Rekha Gupta, a seasoned BJP leader, has carved a strong political trajectory, starting from Delhi University student politics to holding key positions in the party. A three-time councillor and former mayor of the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC), Gupta has been an influential figure in Delhi’s civic administration. In 2025 Assembly election, she defeated AAP leader Bandana Kumari by a margin of 29,595 votes, according to the Election Commission (EC) of India.
Her political acumen was put to the test in 2022 when the BJP fielded her as the party’s mayoral candidate against AAP’s Shelly Oberoi in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) elections. Despite the outcome, her stature within the party continued to rise. Currently serving as the National Vice President of the BJP Mahila Morcha, she has also held the crucial position of general secretary in the Delhi BJP.
Gupta’s political journey began during her college days at Daulat Ram College, where she made a mark as the President of the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) in the 1996-97 session. Her transition into mainstream politics was gradual, and she secured her first electoral victory in 2007 as a councillor from North Pitampura.
Rekha Gupta expresses gratitude to party
BJP workers and supporters celebrated the party’s return to power in the capital. Rekha Gupta’s husband, Manish Gupta and her supporters, also celebrated the announcement about her being the next Chief Minister. After her election as BJP legislature party leader, Rekha Gupta expressed her gratitude to the party and said she will work with full honesty, integrity and dedication for the welfare, empowerment and overall development of every citizen of Delhi.
“I express my heartfelt gratitude to the top leadership for trusting me and entrusting me with the responsibility of the post of Chief Minister. This trust and support has given me new energy and inspiration. I pledge that I will work with full honesty, integrity and dedication for the welfare, empowerment and overall development of every citizen of Delhi. I am fully committed to this important opportunity to take Delhi to new heights,” she said in a post on X.
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