Putting her stamp on governance Premium

Rekha Gupta has carved out a space for herself in Delhi, but challenges remain

Rekha Gupta, a first-time MLA, did not figure as a probable Chief Minister when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won the Delhi Assembly elections after 26 years this February. But now, after more than 100 days in the hot seat, Ms. Gupta is gradually putting her stamp on governance in the capital city, and carving out a space for herself in a highly male-dominated party.

Ms. Gupta, who started her political career as a member of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad at the University of Delhi in 1992, holds 10 portfolios, including Revenue and Finance. In comparison, former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) held only the Water portfolio for about two and a half years, during his tenure from 2015 to 2024.

“From the first day, she has been going on field visits to understand the ground realities. She also conducted separate review meetings of all departments,” an aide at the Chief’s Minister’s Office (CMO) said, adding that Ms. Gupta has also been attending public functions regularly.

Ms. Gupta also goes on field visits of departments that are governed by other ministers, possibly to establish that she is in charge. When she started off, she would sometimes hold “12-14 meetings and events” a day, an official said. But the frequency of these has come down, the official added.

Ms. Gupta continues to live in her own house in Shalimar Bagh instead of moving to a government bungalow in central Delhi. She holds public meetings (jan sunwayi) during several mornings at home, and people with grievances line up outside.

Compared to the hostile relationship between the Central government, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and the Delhi government, led by the AAP, in the past, there is now a cordial relationship between the two. In March, Chief Minister Gupta announced an annual budget of ₹1 lakh crore, the highest in Delhi’s history, as the Central government promised more financial aid. An official said that apart from increasing funds, the Centre has also been helping the Delhi government plan schemes. They have held meetings on cleaning the Yamuna river, and the Ministry of Home Affairs has brought everyone to the table to find a solution.

Ms. Gupta has slowly become a stricter administrator, officials observed. “Earlier this month, there was severe waterlogging in Delhi. During a meeting with the department heads of different agencies, she pulled up senior officials,” an official recalled.