Neighbours burst with pride as Delhi begins new ‘Silsila’ with Rekha

New Delhi: Excitement hung heavy in the evening air outside the grey, four-floor building. A crowd gathered on the narrow lane, chanting "Jai Shri Ram!" and waving BJP flags. Sparklers lit up the night sky, their glow reflecting off the house windows. Manish Gupta, who lives on the third floor of this building in northwest Delhi's Shalimar Bagh, was swarmed by people offering hugs and congratulations. All he had to say was, "It's not just Rekhaji, today the entire public has become Delhi's CM."
Of course, only Rekha Gupta, Manish's wife, will be the CM of Delhi, the public referred to only as political hyperbole. In addition to her husband, other family members gathered to cheer the selection of Gupta as BJP CM after 27 years out of power. The 50-year-old politician's mother-in-law smiled proudly, playfully teased by relatives who remarked on her special saree drape for the occasion. Gupta's children, Harshita, an MBA graduate in her early twenties, and Nikunj, two years younger than his sister, could not join the celebration. Harshita works in Australia, while Nikunj is doing his engineering course in Vellore.
"We hadn't imagined she would become CM, but I felt she was destined for more when she defeated the sitting MLA, Bandana Kumari," beamed Meera Gupta, the mother-in-law. The new CM's sister-in-law added, "People have placed their trust in her because she has the ability to transform Delhi and make it better." Another relative, Meghna Gupta, revealed that Gupta always balanced her family and political life.
"Rekha Gupta hamari CM!" reverberated through the streets, with adults and children alike dancing joyously. Many of the locals felt this was her reward for the work she did for the welfare of girls in the area. "She's a very hardworking woman. She has accomplished so much in Shalimar Bagh as a municipal councillor and we knew she'd go on to become both an MLA and the CM," claimed neighbour Megha Bharadwaj. Amid the sea of faces, an elderly man from the neighbourhood called out loudly, "She's worked so hard. Now everything will be good for the locality!"
A member of the Aas Foundation said, "For decades, Rekha Guptaji has been involved in various initiatives taken by our foundation and through it she is connected with many women of the area. For example, every Navratri, she worships along with hundreds of girls. Apart from that, she distributes bags and blankets every now and then."
AP Block residents, Bhumi, 19, and Navya, 20, watched the celebrations from a corner. "My father knows the Gupta family, so I came with him to meet Rekhaji," said Navya. "During Aam Aadmi Party's tenure, there was no real development in Delhi. All the subsidies went to waste. That will change now." Bhumi, looking with confidence at the new CM, felt certain that her priority would be the safety of women in Delhi.
Not only local residents, but also people from nearby jhuggis gathered around the new CM's house. "My shack was recently demolished. I hope she makes things better for us," said one hopeful slum dweller.
Assured of support of her loved ones and the public, Gupta's role as chief minister, the fourth woman in that post in the city, may mark the beginning of what many hope will be a transformative chapter for the capital. As the chants and dance moves got louder and more energetic, there was optimism in the air, signalling a new era in Delhi's politics.