Rekha Gupta has been named the next chief minister of Delhi, marking the Bharatiya Janata Party’s return to power in the national capital after 27 years. Gupta, a first-time MLA, secured victory in the Shalimar Bagh constituency, defeating Aam Aadmi Party’s Bandana Kumari by 29,595 votes. Her win ended AAP’s decade-long dominance in the area.
Gupta began her political career in 1992 with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad at Daulat Ram College in Delhi University. She later became president of the Delhi University Students' Union in 1996. She was elected as a councillor from North Pitampura in 2007, where she focused on improving local facilities such as libraries and parks. She also launched the Sumedha Yojana to support economically weaker female students pursuing higher education.
Born in 1974 in Nandgarh village in Haryana’s Jind district, Gupta moved to Delhi with her family in 1976. She completed her education in the city and later held key positions in the BJP Mahila Morcha.
The BJP won 48 of the 70 assembly seats, while AAP managed only 22. Several top AAP leaders, including former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, lost their seats. Kejriwal, who represented New Delhi for over a decade, was defeated by BJP’s Parvesh Verma by 4,089 votes.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi called BJP’s victory a historic moment. He thanked the people of Delhi for their support and criticized AAP’s governance. He described the results as a mandate for development and accountability. While AAP suffered a major setback, Atishi managed to retain her seat in Kalkaji.
Modi promised good governance and vowed to make Delhi a better place for its residents. The election results marked a significant shift in the capital’s political landscape, with BJP regaining control after nearly three decades.