The 1,2,3,4 of Delhi's new chief minister, Rekha Gupta 

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday (February 19) chose Rekha Gupta as Delhi’s next chief minister. On Thursday, she took oath at the iconic Ramlila Maidan, along with her cabinet ministers. The CM also retained key departments such as Finance, Planning, GAD, WCD, Services, Revenue, Land & Building, I&PR, Vigilance and AR.

Let’s know more about the firebrand BJP leader through our unique ‘1,2,3,4’ style, reflecting the various firsts, seconds, thirds and fourths of her journey from being an ordinary student union leader to now the boss of Delhi’s new government.

The Firsts

Rekha Gupta is a first-time MLA from Shalimar Bagh. She defeated Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) candidate by an impressive margin of nearly 30,000 votes.

She is also the first office-bearer of Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) to ever become Delhi CM. Gupta served as DUSU’s president in 1996-97, marking the beginning of her political journey.

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Interestingly, as of now, she is the only and first woman chief minister in all of BJP or the ruling National Democratic Alliance-governed states.

The Seconds

Rekha Gupta is heading the second BJP government in Delhi. The party first governed the national capital territory from 1993 to 1998 under three different chief ministers: Madan Lal Khurana, Sahib Singh Verma and Sushma Swaraj.

She is also the BJP’s second woman chief minister to head the Delhi government. Sushma Swaraj was BJP’s first Delhi CM from October 12, 1998, till December 3, 1998.

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Gupta is only the second concurrent chief minister of any state or union territory across India, only after Mamata Banerjee of West Bengal.

The Thirds

Gupta is a three-time councilor and former mayor of the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC). She first served as a councilor from North Pitampura in 2007.

The Fourths

Rekha Gupta is the fourth woman to lead the Delhi government so far.

Sushma Swaraj became the first woman chief minister of Delhi.

Then, in the 1998 assembly elections, Delhi voters turned to the Congress party, paving the way for Sheila Dikshit to become the new chief minister. Dikshit ruled Delhi for the next 15 years, winning three consecutive terms as chief minister.

Then, AAP’s Atishi took control of the Delhi administration in September 2024.