Try GOLD - Free
Three top contenders proposed her name
Hindustan Times Lucknow
|February 20, 2025
The suspense over Delhi's new chief minister ended Wednesday evening as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) announced Rekha Gupta as its pick, bringing an end to 11 days of speculation following the party's sweeping victory in the state elections.
NEW DELHI: A Daulat Ram College student who joined the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) in 1992, going on to become the Delhi University Students' Union general secretary in 1995, and the body's president in 1996, Rekha Gupta cut her teeth in student politics in the national capital.
Three decades later, after a journey that took her to the municipal corporation, and put her in several key roles in the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Delhi unit, Gupta is about to take the reins as the fourth woman chief minister of Delhi.
She was born in 1974 in the Julana region of Jind district in Haryana. The family's ancestral village is Nandgarh, and they moved to Delhi in 1976 when the father, Jai Bhagwan Jindal, became the branch manager of State Bank of India, Pitampura, from where she would later contest legislative assembly elections. Her mother, Urmila Jindal, was a homemaker.
She married Manish Gupta, an industrialist who deals in brass parts, in 1998. They have two children - a son who is in college and a daughter who is involved in the family business.
It was while pursuing her BCom from Daulat Ram College that she began her political journey by participating in various political and community events.
Indu Jain, who taught at Daulat Ram College from 1977 to 2020, said that Gupta was always dedicated to the causes she took up. "It is a very proud moment for us. I still remember that she was a very studious and a hardworking student. She was also very active in student politics at the time."
Former student leaders, even from other political parties, remember her as being strongly committed to her ideology as a member of the RSS, the ideological fount of the BJP.
This story is from the February 20, 2025 edition of Hindustan Times Lucknow.
Subscribe to Magzter GOLD to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 10,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
MORE STORIES FROM Hindustan Times Lucknow
Hindustan Times Lucknow
Rohit, Kohli falter on return, India lose ODI
The return of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to international cricket lasted 22 balls in all.as India endured a poor start to their white-ball tour of Australia. It was a seven-wicket defeat in the first ODI which had to be curtailed to a 26-over affair owing to four rain interruptions at Perth on Sunday.
3 mins
October 20, 2025
Hindustan Times Lucknow
Huma-Rachit make it red-carpet official
The cat's finally out of the bag! Actor Huma Qureshi and beau Rachit Singh, an acting coach, just made their relationship red-carpet official at the special screening of Thamma on Saturday.
1 min
October 20, 2025
Hindustan Times Lucknow
{ GREENPIECE } LET DIWALI NOT OVERSHADOW GOVARDHAN PUJA
In recent decades, a lot of the conversation related to festivals has been around Diwali on Amavasya, or the dark night.
1 min
October 20, 2025
Hindustan Times Lucknow
Ahead of polls, shifting loyalties come to fore
In Bihar's volatile political landscape, party-hoppers are no longer seen as outcasts but assets. With the assembly election campaign in full swing, the atmosphere is charged with defections, alliances of conveniences, and a clear shift towards electoral winnability over ideological commitment.
3 mins
October 20, 2025
Hindustan Times Lucknow
Nomination withdrawal ends today, Oppn deal still elusive
Uncertainty over seat-sharing persists
4 mins
October 20, 2025

Hindustan Times Lucknow
RBL Bank plans growth push with Emirates deal
The Dubai-based lender will own about 60% in RBL Bank once the deal is done
2 mins
October 20, 2025
Hindustan Times Lucknow
Kajol on 30 years of DDLJ: We never thought we were creating a legacy
It's been exactly 30 years since Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ) hit theatres on October 20, 1995, and the love story of Raj and Simran continues to define romance for generations.
1 min
October 20, 2025
Hindustan Times Lucknow
Ladakh banks on talks to restore peace, normalcy
Ahead of scheduled discussions between the Centre and Ladakh representatives on October 22, local leaders have expressed hope that the negotiations will help the region heal from the trauma of the September 24 violence.
2 mins
October 20, 2025
Hindustan Times Lucknow
Farmers worried as cotton prices plunge amid cuts in import duty
India's decision to suspend a duty on cotton imports to allow for cheaper inbound shipments has caused prices to crash in a year of anticipated robust output, farmers and growers' unions have said.
1 min
October 20, 2025
Hindustan Times Lucknow
Necklace gifted by Napoleon to wife among jewels stolen from Louvre
Robbers wielding power tools scaled a furniture hoist outside the Louvre to make off with priceless jewellery from the world-renowned museum on Sunday, taking just seven minutes for the brazen, broad-daylight heist, sources and officials said.
1 min
October 20, 2025
Listen
Translate
Change font size