Delhi Assembly Elections 2025 | In picking Rekha Gupta, BJP puts thrust on women empowerment

New Delhi: In appointing Rekha Gupta as the Delhi Chief Minister, the BJP has sought to correct a glaring anomaly in the selection of state leadership as none among its list of over a dozen serving CMs is a woman.

Gupta would be the first woman CM of the party after Vasundhara Raje Scindia who demitted office in 2018. The party is currently in power with its NDA allies in 19 states and has CMs in 13.

However, last year, in two states - Odisha and Rajasthan - the BJP has tried to rectify this imbalance by appointing Pravati Parida and Diya Kumar as Deputy CM.

Gupta’s selection from the list of half a dozen strong contenders checks in many other boxes, especially when the party has sought to champion the cause of women and their empowerment with the passage of the Women Reservation Bill in parliament.

Gupta, a lawyer by profession, started her political innings with ABVP, the student wing of the BJP. She went on to win the Delhi University Student’s Union presidential elections. Subsequently, the party later fielded her in the municipal council elections, and rose to become Mayor of South Delhi Municipal Corporation.

Gupta is also currently the General Secretary of Delhi BJP. The 50-year-old has previously been the National Vice President of BJP’s Mahila Morcha. She won the Shalimar Bagh seat in the 2025 Delhi Assembly Election with 68,200 votes.

Some of the pre-poll promises made by the BJP ahead of the Delhi polls also centred around women's empowerment the party may launch after the oath-taking of the new cabinet on Thursday.

Mahila Samman Yojana of the previous AAP government is likely to be rechristened Mahila Samridhi Yojana and beneficiaries will now receive Rs 2,500 per month, up from Rs 1,100.

The party in its manifesto had also promised financial aid to pregnant women and assistance to poor families for their daughters' marriages.

The schemes are likely to be officially launched on International Women's Day on March 8.