The BJP has named radiologist Dr Archana Gupta president of its Haryana unit to broaden women’s involvement. She becomes only the second woman to lead the state unit in a region often noted for patriarchal norms and a low sex ratio. The first was Dr Kamla Verma, who held the post from 1980 to 1983. Gupta’s appointment ends a 43-year gap since a woman last led the organisation. The move follows completion of internal polls up to district level. Outgoing president Mohan Lal Badoli, from the Brahmin community, served less than two years of a standard three-year term. He had risen through RSS ranks before taking charge ahead of the 2024 assembly elections, which the BJP won for a third straight time. Gupta, previously a state general secretary, thanked the leadership for trusting a woman worker and vowed to promote women’s empowerment and wider participation in politics and the economy. She also pledged to strengthen the party by including all workers. Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini congratulated her and offered sweets in celebration. Senior leader and Power Minister Anil Vij called the choice positive, noting it reactivates party work and returns leadership to a woman after a long interval. Gupta was born in 1968 in Samalkha, Panipat, and became the first woman in her family to pursue higher education and medicine. She earned an MD in radiology from PGIMS Rohtak in 1994 as a gold medallist. She practised in Panipat while rising in the Vishva Hindu Parishad, serving as district co-convener, convener and state vice-president between 2010 and 2016. Her BJP career began in the women’s wing; she became Panipat district president in 2020, the first woman in that role, and state general secretary in 2023. She has campaigned for party candidates since 2019. The appointment aims to increase women’s roles in the organisation and strengthen urban outreach. It is also viewed as an effort to consolidate support among the Agarwal community in caste-influenced Haryana politics. Karnal Lok Sabha seat, which includes her native Panipat, gains further prominence, as it is represented by former chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar and includes several state ministers. Gupta has endorsed the Saini government’s welfare schemes for women, including monthly assistance, training programmes and workplace safety funds. She is married to ophthalmologist Anil Gupta and has two children.
