Caste calculus to Nari Shakti and more: Modi's Delhi choices tick many boxes for BJP

PM Modi with new Delhi Cabinet.

Ending days of suspense, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday evening named Rekha Gupta, a first-time MLA from Shalimar Bagh, as the next chief minister of Delhi. The decision came as a big surprise  to many seasoned political observers as she was picked ahead of several heavyweights --Parvesh Verma, Vijender Gupta, and Ashish Sood to lead the BJP's first government in Delhi after 27 years.

Following the announcement on Wednesday, Rekha Gupta, accompanied by several senior BJP leaders staked claim to form the government by handing over the letter of support from BJP legislative party to Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena.

On Thursday afternoon, Rekha Gupta was sworn in as the ninth chief minister of Delhi. Additionally, six BJP legislators-- Parvesh Verma, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Kapil Mishra, Ashish Sood, Pankaj Kumar Singh and Ravinder Indraj Singh took oath as cabinet ministers at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan.

However, a granular look at BJP's CM pick and her six cabinet colleagues that took oath today, reveals that factors like caste calculus, Purvanchalii constituency, regional balancing and most importantly emphasis on Nari Shakti played a significant role in cementing the party's decision to back these candidates.

Consolidation of women voters:

Gupta's appointment as the Delhi CM BJP's strategy to consolidate support of women voters, who played a key role in its election victory. In its ‘Sankalp Patra’, the saffron party promised sops for women including monthly financial assistance of Rs2,500. The BJP is hoping to shatter the perception that it relies on women voters for winning elections, but does not appoint them as CMs.

The New Indian Express quoting a senior BJP leader, said that he made a cryptic prediction about the Delhi Chief Minister, stating, "Delhi me vikas ka ek naya ‘rekha’ kichna hai Prime Minister ko. Tum ek hundred rupee ke note pe likh ke rakh lo, yehi sahi hoga" (PM has to draw a new line of development in Delhi. You keep this written on a hundred rupee note, this will be true).

With an eye on Bihar polls:

Political analysts also believe that her election was a significant message to Bihar, which is set to hold elections later this year. The BJP may now make Gupta a symbol of the party’s outreach to women as well as to the Vaishya community, which is an influential demographic although not the largest in terms of absolute numbers.

Rewarding grassroots work:

While congratulating Rekha Gupta, Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on X,"Congratulations to Smt. Rekha Gupta Ji on taking oath as Delhi's Chief Minister. She has risen from the grassroots, being active in campus politics, state organisation, municipal administration and now MLA as well as Chief Minister. I am confident she will work for Delhi's development with full vigour. My best wishes to her for a fruitful tenure."

The Jat factor:

Parvesh Verma- Parvesh Verma, a prominent Jat leader, has been associated with the BJP for nearly three decades. He is the son of former Delhi Chief Minister and senior BJP vice-president Sahib Singh Verma. In the recent assembly election, Verma defeated AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal from the New Delhi constituency.

Apparent Dalit outreach:

Ravinder Indraj Singh: Ravinder Indraj Singh, a Dalit leader, emerged victorious in the Bawana constituency in the recently held Delhi Assembly election, defeating Jai Bhagwan Upkar of the AAP.

The all-important Purvanchali factor:

Pankaj Singh: Pankaj Kumar Singh, a Purvanchali leader, won the Vikaspuri (South-West) constituency, defeating Mahinder Yadav of AAP. He is a qualified dentist and actively involved in social services.

The Punjabi community:

Ashish Sood:  A Punjabi leader and the Janakpuri MLA, defeated Parveen Kumar of the AAP. In the past, Sood has held various important positions within the party, including serving as a councillor, Leader of the House in the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC), and more recently as the BJP’s Goa in-charge and co-incharge for Jammu and Kashmir.