New Delhi, Feb 19 (Reporter) Fifty year old Rekha Gupta, a somewhat surprise choice by the BJP as the new Delhi Chief Minister, is a first time MLA and a non-controversial politician who has spent three decades serving the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in various capacities While Gupta’s choice over more prominent leaders like Parvesh Verma – who defeated AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal – Ashish Sood and Vijender Gupta, might seem a little surprising, it appears to be a part of the BJP’s tactic to cement its base among the women – a section which has emerged as a major vote bank wooed by every party over the past few years. The BJP’s manifesto ahead of the Delhi Assembly election also had many sops and announcements targeting women. Gupta, an advocate, becomes the ninth CM overall and the fourth woman to helm the Delhi government after Sushma Swaraj, Sheila Dikshit and Atishi. AAP leader Atishi was Gupta’s immediate predecessor and could be the face of the opposition in the legislature for he next five years after the defeat of Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia in the recent elections.. Another reason for the BJP’s decision to opt for Gupta could be her Baniya community background, like Kejriwal. The Baniya community has been another strong support base of the saffron outfit, and Gupta’s anointment in the cream post could help it further consolidate its support base among this section of voters. Gupta, who has risen through the ranks, began her political journey as a student leader with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). She was elected as president of the Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) in 1996-97 Gupta then moved into civic politics, becoming a three-time councillor, and also served as Mayor of South Delhi Municipal Corporation. She also contested against AAP’s Shelly Oberoi for the Mayoral post of the MCD in 2022. Gupta, who filed her candidature from the Shalimar Bag constituency for the recent Delhi Assembly polls, won with a margin of over 29,000 votes over Aam Aadmi Party’s Bandana Kumari. Gupta in fact proved third time lucly, as she had lost to the same rival in the 2015 and 2020 Assembly polls As an organisational leader, Gupta has been the General Secretary of the Delhi unit of the BJP and a national vice president of the party’s women’s wing – Mahila Morcha. Gupta, a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), is set to be sworn in on Thursday, as the BJP returns to power in the national capital after a long gap of 27 years...////...