CHANDIGARH: The Haryana BJP on Thursday appointed Archana Gupta as the new president of its state unit, making her only the second woman to head the party in Haryana in more than four decades.Gupta, a doctor by profession (radiologist), is at present the party state general secretary.Kamla Verma, a veteran BJP leader, served as the first female president of the BJP’s Haryana unit from 1980 to 1983. She died in 2021 at the age of 93.BJP president Nitin Nabin on Thursday named chiefs for the party’s Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and Tripura units, according to separate notifications issued by BJP national general secretary Arun Singh.Gupta, who takes over from incumbent Mohan Lal Badoli, thanked the party leadership for entrusting her with the responsibility.Speaking to reporters in her hometown, she said the BJP has continuously been working to give opportunities to women in every field by treating them as equal partners and accused the Congress and other opposition parties of opposing the women’s reservation amendment in Parliament and alleged that they had repeatedly blocked efforts to ensure reservation for them.Gupta also expressed gratitude to several senior BJP leaders, including Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini, Om Prakash Dhankar, Subhash Barala and Mohan Lal Badoli for strengthening the party organisation in the state.She further thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and BJP President Nitin Nabin.Gupta said she would work towards ensuring greater participation of women in both economic and social sectors.Gupta first became the Panipat District Mahila Morcha (Women’s Wing) president on September 9, 2015.On August 13, 2019, she assumed the responsibility of BJP’s Panipat president and served in that capacity until January 5, 2024.On January 5, 2024, the party entrusted her with the responsibility of state general secretary.Before entering active politics, since 2014, Gupta had been serving as the Haryana vice president of ‘Bharatiya Swasthya Rekha’, a wing of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP). From 2013 to 2014, she was a co-convener for the Medical Cell of the VHP.By profession, Archana Gupta is a gold medalist doctor. She completed her MBBS in 1990 from PGIMS, Rohtak, followed by her MD in radio-diagnosis in 1994 from the same institute.The 1968-born spent her childhood amid discussions on patriotism and nation-building. She was deeply influenced by her grandfather, Surajbhan, a freedom fighter.Her father, Purushottam Das Gupta, holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and runs a business in Samalkha, while her mother, Santosh Gupta, is a homemaker.Gupta’s husband, Dr Anil Gupta, is an ophthalmologist. The couple has one daughter, Arushi Gupta, who is also a doctor and one son, Aviral Gupta.The chief minister, who was in Panipat, congratulated Gupta on her appointment and offered her sweets.(With PTI inputs)
