Chief Minister of Delhi

Head of government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi

2 min read

The chief minister of the National Capital Territory of Delhi is the head of government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. According to the Constitution of India, the lieutenant governor is the National Capital Territory of Delhi's de jure head, but de facto executive authority rests with its chief minister. Following elections to the Delhi Legislative Assembly, the lieutenant governor usually invites the party with a majority of seats to form the government. The president of India, on the advice of the lieutenant governor, appoints the chief minister, whose council of ministers are collectively responsible to the assembly. Given that the person has the confidence of the assembly, the chief minister's term is for five years and is subject to no term limits. Rekha Gupta is the incumbent chief minister since February 2025.

History

Since 1952, the National Capital Territory of Delhi has had 7 chief ministers, starting with the Indian National Congress party's Chaudhary Brahm Prakash. The office of the chief minister was abolished for 37 years after the States Reorganisation Act of 1956. In 1991, growing demand for self-governance led to the 69th Amendment to the Indian Constitution which granted Delhi National Capital Territory (NCT) status and an elected legislature. First election after 37 years was held in November 1993 and Madan Lal Khurana of Bharatiya Janata Party was sworn in as the chief minister. The longest-serving chief minister, Sheila Dikshit from the Indian National Congress party, held the office for over fifteen years. On 28 December 2013, Arvind Kejriwal of Aam Aadmi Party sworn in as first state party chief minister of the national capital territory. There has been one instance of president's rule in the National Capital Territory of Delhi, most recently in 2015.