Delhi Assembly elections 2025: From Chaudhary Brahm Prakash to Atishi, a look at all Delhi chief ministers so far

Chaudhary Brahm Prakash: Delhi’s first CM

The first Assembly elections in the state of Delhi were held in 1952, just five years after the country became Independent. The first Delhi assembly elections were dominated by Congress, which secured 39 of the 48 seats. The closest competitor was the Bhartiya Jan Sangh, which had five seats. The Congress also dominated the vote share, securing more than 52 per cent of the total 5,21,766 votes cast. The BJS were second in line with a respectable vote share of almost 22 per cent.

Brahm Prakash, (on the right of Pt. Nehru), became the very first chief minister of the state of Delhi in 1952.

The first chief minister of the state was Chaudhary Brahm Prakash of the Congress. Prakash, however, resigned from his post in 1955, and Gurmukh Nihal Singh replaced him.

During its short term, the Congress government could not bring much change. Yet, Brahm Prakash took an uncompromising stance against the Central government and staunchly demanded increased autonomy for the state. This government was short-lived because the States Reorganisation Commission in 1956 changed Delhi’s status from state to Union territory, resulting in the dissolution of the Legislative Assembly.

37-year democratic void in the national capital

From 1956 to 1993, Delhi had no chief minister or a Legislative Assembly for 37 years. For the first decade, governance in the Union territory was managed by the elected members of the municipal council.

Starting in 1966, a growing demand for representation led to forming a 61-member metropolitan council. This council was composed of 56 elected members and five nominated members, and it was headed by the Lieutenant Governor (L-G). However, the council did not have legislative powers, which ultimately resulted in poor governance.

Over time, the demand of the common people for a democratic institution only grew. It was in the mid-1980s that the Sarkaria Committee gave its recommendations that while Delhi should remain a Union territory, a Legislative Assembly should still be created to address people’s issues. In 1991, six years after the recommendations, the government finally took action and passed the resolution to restore the Delhi Legislative Assembly. The first elections for the Delhi Assembly were scheduled for 1993.

BJP comes to power with Madan Lal Khurana

The first Delhi Assembly Elections following the resolution that allowed the national capital to have a Legislative Assembly were held in 1993. The elections were dominated by the BJP, which won 49 of the 70 seats, securing a 42 per cent vote share. The Congress, the BJP’s closest competitor, won 14 seats with a 34 per cent vote share.

Madan Lal Khurana became the first Chief Minister of Delhi after it became a Union Territory. (File)

The BJP appointed Madan Lal Khurana as the chief minister of Delhi. Khurana, popularly known as ‘Dilli Ka Sher’, had a brief tenure due to his alleged involvement in the ‘Jain Hawala’ scandal, which led to corruption charges against him.

Sahib Singh Verma: The Successor to Khurana

Sahib Singh Verma, who succeeded Khurana, also briefly served as chief minister because his government struggled to address the inflation crisis. Ultimately, Sushma Swaraj resigned from the Union Cabinet to assume the role of Delhi chief minister shortly before the 1998 elections.

Sushma Swaraj: The BJP’s ‘Fire-Fighter CM’

In UP, BJP Mahila Morcha state president and Rajya Sabha member Geeta Shakya had for the first time conferred Sushma Swaraj Award on 15 women in the Loni Assembly constituency area of Ghaziabad district on Friday. (Express Photo)

Sushma Swaraj led a brief 52-day stint as the chief minister, yet managed to set up a system that could provide some relief to the Delhi citizens and save the party’s image. Swaraj set up a committee immediately to manage the inflation of onion prices and even got vans specifically to distribute them. She would also do regular inspections of the police to make sure they were working to address the people’s problems, even though the Delhi Police were not under the CM’s control, according to her BJP colleagues.

Swaraj was also referred to as a “fire-fighter CM” for the crucial role played by her in protecting the BJP’s public image and legacy. Swaraj served as a minister in various BJP governments at the Centre from 2000 and was the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha from 2009 to 2014. She was the minister of external affairs in the first Narendra Modi Cabinet and died in August 2019.

Sheila Dikshit’s 15 years at helm

Sheila Dikshit at her residence. (Express )Archive

In the second elections held in 1998, the Congress emerged as the winner with 52 seats and a 47.7 per cent vote share. The BJP won only 15 seats with a vote share of almost 36 per cent. Sheila Dikshit was made the chief minister and would become the longest-serving CM in Delhi.

Under Dikshit’s leadership, the Congress also won the 2003 and 2008 elections. Delhi flourished under Dikshit’s government, especially in the public transport sphere. She spearheaded the building of the first Metro lines, and her government also purchased 5,500 buses for easy commute. Dikshit also worked hard on developing road infrastructure, with nearly 65 flyovers built during her term.

Dikshit was also a strong voice for Delhi and managed to strike a decent balance between the Centre and the state. The Centre was often opposed to her proposed decisions, but Dikshit stood her ground and navigated around the problems that arose. She also led the effort of privatisation of the electric sector, reducing distribution losses from 50 per cent to 15 per cent. Funds gained from mitigating these losses were then used to construct more than a dozen hospitals in Delhi.

The CWG2010 were held under the government of Sheila Dikshit.

The Commonwealth Games of 2010 took place during Dikshit’s administration, and she took the initiative to revamp Delhi. This included modernising the Indira Gandhi International Airport and improving the streets. When an overpass collapsed in front of the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium shortly before the games were set to begin, Dikshit responded quickly to address the situation. Additionally, she made efforts to reduce air pollution in the city.

However, Dikshit could not continue her winning streak for a fourth term as counts of corruption and financial irregularities during CWG 2010 led to her eventual loss in the 2013 elections.

Arvind Kejriwal’s rise to power since 2013

Aam Aadmi Party National Convener Arvind Kejriwal (Express Photo by Amit Mehra)

In the 2013 elections, the AAP became a major political alternative under Kejriwal’s leadership. The Anna Hazare-led anti-corruption movement also propelled it. The AAP won 28 seats, but the BJP-led NDA held the majority with 32 seats. The AAP got outside support from Congress, won eight seats, and formed the government under Kejriwal.

On February 14, 2014, after 49 days in office, Kejriwal resigned as CM. He cited his government’s inability to present the Jan Lokpal Bill for discussion in the Delhi Assembly due to strong opposition from other political parties. Following his resignation, Delhi was placed under the President’s Rule for approximately one year before elections were held in February 2015.

The AAP then won landslide victories in the 2015 and 2020 elections with 67 and 62 seats, respectively, out of 70. Under Kejriwal, more than 20,000 classrooms have been constructed to ensure quality education for all children. Dengue cases have also taken a very sharp dip under the Kejriwal-led government, and the healthcare budget has also increased considerably.

Kejriwal also worked to provide electricity and water to all households, to varying levels of success, and provided incentives of monetary benefits to households in need. He is also credited with implementing the odd-even scheme to curb vehicular pollution.

Kejriwal implemented the Odd-Even scheme to curb vehicular pollution as well as excess traffic.

Atishi: AAP’s replacement to Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister Atishi filed her nomination for the Kalkaji seat on Tuesday. (PTI Photo)

Kejriwal, who projects himself as a symbol of anti-corruption, was put behind bars over alleged corruption in the liquor policy case in March 2024. Kejriwal resigned from his position after receiving bail and walking out of jail. His replacement, Atishi, has served as Delhi’s chief minister since September 2024.

Atishi is the third woman to become the chief minister of the national capital. Since taking charge, she has worked to extend free healthcare, earlier limited to senior citizens, to every resident of Delhi.

The article is written by Rohan Sreen, an intern with the indianexpress.com