E-Paper
Before becoming Delhi CM, Rekha Gupta was DUSU president on a scooter; this Congress leader was her rival
In 1995-96, Rekha Gupta became general secretary of DUSU. The following year, in 1996-97, she was elected president of the Delhi University Students’ Union.
Prefer HTon Google
Did you know Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta once rode around Delhi University’s North Campus on a scooter?
In the mid-1990s, Gupta was a student leader at the university and went on to serve as president of the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) in 1996-97.
Recently, Gupta reacted to the latest DUSU election results after the ABVP won three of the four central panel posts. Congratulating the newly elected office-bearers, she recalled her own student days and her deep connection with the university and its student union.
“My connection with Delhi University and DUSU is deeply personal. It was in this very campus that my journey, from student life to the responsibilities of DUSU President was shaped. Therefore, today’s historic victory is a moment of special joy for me,” Gupta said.
From Daulat Ram College to DUSU
Gupta was a B.Com student at Daulat Ram College from 1992 to 1995. She joined the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) during her college years and became general secretary of the Daulat Ram College Students’ Union in 1994.
In 1995-96, she became general secretary of DUSU. The following year, in 1996-97, she was elected president of the Delhi University Students’ Union.
Her years in student politics involved travelling across the university campus, meeting students and taking up their concerns. Gupta and fellow DUSU leader Rajneesh Jindal would travel between colleges to meet students, listen to their grievances and organise campaigns. Jindal recalled that they sometimes travelled on Gupta’s white scooter and at other times on his Bajaj Chetak, Indian Express reported.
Gupta and Alka Lamba's DUSU connection
Gupta’s DUSU years also brought her together with Alka Lamba, who was elected DUSU president in 1995 from the NSUI, while Gupta became general secretary from the ABVP.
The two belonged to rival student organisations but worked together in the union for a year. When Gupta became Delhi chief minister in February 2025, Lamba looked back at their student-politics days and shared a photograph of the two taking oath as DUSU office-bearers in 1995.
“This memorable photo from 1995 - when Rekha Gupta and I took oath together. I won the Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) Adhyaksh post from NSUI and Rekha won the MahaSachiv post from ABVP. Congratulations,” Lamba wrote while sharing the photograph.
Lamba also recalled their ideological differences during their student-politics days, saying Gupta brought BJP leaders to college for lectures while she brought speakers associated with Gandhi’s ideology.
What issues did Gupta take up?
Gupta’s student politics focused on issues involving academic functioning, campus security and student transport.
Former DUSU joint secretary Jindal told The Indian Express that Gupta led a movement in 1995 seeking an academic calendar with at least 150 proper working academic days so that students would attend classes regularly. He also recalled her efforts to improve security for women on North Campus and increase the number of U-Special buses so students could travel to college more frequently.
Gupta was vocal about women’s safety on campus and pushed for North Campus to be made a compact or closed campus to enhance security, although the proposal was not implemented, the report added.
From student politics to the BJP
After her DUSU years, Gupta pursued higher studies and remained active in the ABVP. She later joined the BJP in 2002 and held several organisational positions before entering electoral politics.
She was elected a councillor in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi in 2007 and again in 2012, and later served as mayor of the South Delhi Municipal Corporation. In the 2025 Delhi Assembly election, she won the Shalimar Bagh constituency and was subsequently chosen as Delhi chief minister.
The latest DUSU election saw the ABVP win three of the four central panel posts. Yash Dabas was elected president, Riya Chhawadi secretary and Lakshya Raj Singh joint secretary.
Independent candidate Deepanshu Shokeen won the vice-president’s post with 30,615 votes after he was not given the NSUI ticket. His victory marked the return of an independent candidate to the DUSU central panel after 17 years.
(With inputs from PTI and ANI)
