Delhi Election Results 2025: Gopal Rai, Aam Aadmi Party candidate from Babarpur assembly won against BJP candidate Anil Kumar Vashisht by a margin of 18994 votes.
Gopal Rai, a key leader in the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), represents the Babarpur assembly constituency of Delhi and has been renominated from the party for the seat for the assembly poll, voting for which took place on Wednesday, February 5, in a single phase.
Gopal Rai is the current minister for environment, forest and wildlife, development and general administration in the Delhi government and a member of the political affairs committee of the AAP.
Gopal Rai's political journey
Born on May 10, 1975, in Delhi, Gopal Rai’s political journey began in Lucknow University in 1992, where he was actively involved in student activism under All India Students Association.
Gopal Rai led campaigns against corruption and crime in college campuses, according to Delhi government's website. Gopal Rai was shot during a protest, resulting in partial paralysis.
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Gopal Rai's activism later propelled him into mainstream politics, and in 2013, he contested the Delhi assembly election from Babarpur unsuccessfully.
{{/usCountry}}Gopal Rai's activism later propelled him into mainstream politics, and in 2013, he contested the Delhi assembly election from Babarpur unsuccessfully.
{{/usCountry}}Gopal Rai’s victory came in 2015 when he secured the Babarpur seat and was appointed as the minister of transport and labour.
In the 2020 Delhi assembly election, Gopal Rai won the Babarpur seat again by defeating his next rival, Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Naresh Gaur, by over 32,000 votes.
As a minister, Gopal Rai is credited for pushing for raising minimum wages in Delhi. The wage hike from ₹9,000 to ₹14,000 for unskilled workers and higher for semi-skilled and skilled workers earned him praise for advocating workers’ rights.
A key figure in AAP’s organisational strategies, Gopal Rai has been instrumental in strengthening the party's foundation in Delhi and is a key contender in the Delhi assembly election 2025.
Voting for all 70 assembly seats in Delhi took place on February 5, while the counting of votes is taking place on Saturday, February 8 for the high-stakes poll in which the BJP and the Congress are battling to stop the AAP from coming back to power for the third consecutive time.