Editorial: Uphill task for Delhi CM Rekha Gupta

As Rekha Gupta gets down to the nitty-gritty of administrative business, she is up against many challenges — from fulfilling election promises to cleaning the Yamuna

By appointing first-time legislator Rekha Gupta as Delhi Chief Minister, the BJP may have justifiably claimed to have walked the talk on honouring ‘Nari Shakti’ but the real challenges of governing the national capital lie ahead. Gupta, the fourth woman Chief Minister of Delhi, happens to be the only incumbent woman CM in any BJP-ruled State. Gender and community factors played a key role in the saffron party’s choice for the coveted post. Nurtured in the student politics of Delhi University and rose through the ranks in the organisation, Gupta now has her hands full. As she gets down to the nitty-gritty of administrative business, she is up against many challenges — from managing the finances and fulfilling its main election promises to cleaning the Yamuna and improving civic conditions. Gupta’s appointment was announced 11 days after the party’s landslide victory in the Assembly elections, ending the AAP’s 10-year regime. The other contenders included Parvesh Verma, the ‘giant killer’ who defeated AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal in the New Delhi seat; Delhi BJP general secretary Ashish Sood, former Leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta and Malviya Nagar MLA Satish Upadhyay. During the campaign, the BJP, in a bid to outsmart the AAP, had focused on wooing women voters, with the party’s manifesto promising Rs 2,500 monthly aid for women, Rs 21,000 for pregnant women and pensions for seniors. For Gupta (50), whose campaign website’s tagline is “Kaam hi Pehchaan” (my work is my identity), the implementation of the party’s poll promises will prove to be an acid test.

There are high public expectations from the new government on a host of issues ranging from improving the condition of roads and ensuring drinking water supply to the construction of houses for the poor and regularisation of illegal colonies. The new government needs to get cracking to put together the budget for the new fiscal, keeping in mind allocations for the scheme for women as well as Rs 21,000 for pregnant women, as promised. The immediate implementation of the Ayushman Bharat scheme is also on top of the BJP’s agenda. The previous AAP regime did not adopt it, becoming the only administration after the Trinamool Congress-led West Bengal government to reject the Centre’s health insurance scheme. Cleaning Yamuna River is another big promise waiting to be implemented. The high pollution level in the river was a major talking point during the poll campaign, with the BJP promising to do what neither the Congress nor the AAP could achieve during their time in power. The ambitious plan, launched on February 16, 2025, aims to restore the polluted river within three years through a four-pronged strategy focusing on waste removal, drain cleaning, and sewage treatment plant upgrades and construction. With Prime Minister Narendra Modi according it a top priority, the BJP’s success hinges on effectively executing the complex project.

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