Rekha Gupta, named the Chief Minister of Delhi late on February 19, might be a first-time MLA, but she has had a long innings in politics. By choosing her as the Delhi CM over other prominent faces, including giant-slayer Parvesh Verma, the BJP might be trying to score on multiple fronts. Gupta, 50, won the Shalimar Bagh seat in the recent Delhi Assembly election with a margin of close to 30,000 votes. “Kaam hi Pehchaan” (my work is my identity), is a tagline the BJP leader uses on her website for her campaigns. Rekha Gupta cut her teeth in politics with the Delhi University students' elections. She is a three-time councillor and former mayor of the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC). She was also pitted by the BJP as the MCD mayoral candidate against AAP's Shelly Oberoi in 2022. Rekha Gupta is the National Vice President of the BJP Mahila Morcha. She has previously served as the general secretary of the Delhi BJP. Gupta graduated from Daulat Ram College and served as the President of DUSU in the 1996-97 session. She was first elected as a councilor from North Pitampura in 2007. By making her the Delhi CM, the BJP is trying to build on the legacy of women chief ministers, and showing AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal's stint as a contrast and aberration. Delhi has seen a string of women chief ministers, including the 15-year rule of Congress's Sheila Dikshit.