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BJP leader Kailash Gahlot's daughter tops CUET UG exam: 'Immensely proud'
Devina Gahlot, daughter of former Delhi minister and BJP MLA Kailash Gahlot, emerged as the topper of CUET-UG 2026.
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Devina Gahlot, 17, the daughter of former Delhi minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kailash Gahlot, scored in the 100th percentile in four out of five subjects in this year’s Common University Entrance Test for Undergraduates (CUET-UG), the National Testing Agency (NTA) stated on Tuesday.
Gahlot topped the examination, taken by 1.16 million candidates, with an aggregate normalised NTA score of 1,232.19 out of 1,250 marks. Saksham Goel, also from Delhi, finished second with an aggregate score of 1,230.82, while Udit Chaturvedi of Himachal Pradesh secured third place with 1,207.21 marks, according to the results released by the NTA.
Among the 20 candidates who recorded the highest aggregate NTA scores across five subjects, four each were from Delhi and Rajasthan. Bihar accounted for three top-scoring candidates, followed by two each from Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Kerala each recorded one candidate in the top 20.
Gahlot, a student of Delhi Public School, Vasant Kunj, who also scored 99% in the Central Board of Secondary Examination (CBSE) board examinations, stated that she aims to pursue a bachelor of arts (honours) in English at St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University. She noted that she focused on making consistent daily progress rather than tracking her cumulative study hours.
“Even after completing my board examinations and having ample time to prepare for college entrance tests, I never studied for 10 to 12 hours a day,” Gahlot said. “I knew I couldn’t afford to skip a day of studying, and that I had to make some progress every single day.”
Recalling her examination experience, she stated that one of her papers was delayed by more than two hours, adding that staying calm helped her navigate the situation.
“I reminded myself that these were circumstances beyond my control and drew confidence from my consistent preparation,” she said.
The CUET-UG exam for 12 subjects in Shift 1 on May 30 was delayed by two hours from its scheduled 9am start, leaving candidates waiting inside examination rooms with little initial clarity.
Gahlot stated that literature and writing remain “closest to her heart,” and she intends to explore a career in journalism and creative writing.
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Her father, Kailash Gahlot, praised her dedication to her studies. “This remarkable achievement reflects her hard work, discipline, perseverance and unwavering commitment to excellence,” he stated.
The NTA stated that 22 students scored in the 100th percentile in three subjects this year, 180 in two subjects, and 3,214 in one subject. Last year, 17 students achieved the 100th percentile in three subjects, 150 in two subjects, and 2,679 in one subject.
The NTA utilises an equipercentile normalisation method for the CUET-UG. Under this system, candidates are first assigned session-wise percentiles based on their raw marks, which are subsequently equated across shifts to generate the normalized NTA scores used for university admissions.
Total registrations for the exam increased from 1.35 million in 2025 to 1.57 million in 2026, representing an increase of more than 15%. Female registrations rose by nearly 20%, growing from 647,934 in 2025 to 774,607 in 2026. Male registrations increased by 12.4%, rising from 706,760 to 794,257.
The NTA stated that 1.16 million candidates appeared for the exam this year, compared with 1.07 million last year, marking an 8.6% increase. Women outnumbered men among test-takers, with 585,596 women appearing for the examination compared with 578,500 men—a difference of about 1.2%.
The computerised test, now in its fifth edition, will determine admissions across 244 universities, compared with 239 universities in 2025.
Candidates chose up to five subjects from a total of 37 available options, which included 13 languages, 23 domain-specific subjects, and a general test. Each subject carries a maximum of 250 marks, evaluated through a multiple-choice question format consisting of 50 questions per subject, of which 40 must be answered. The marking scheme awards five positive marks for each correct answer and deducts one negative mark for each incorrect response.
