BJP's last chief minister in Delhi was in 1998, but only for 52 days

Delhi assembly election: BJP broke through the 27-year hiatus in Delhi in the 2025 election, winning 48 of the 70 seats in the national capital.

After being out of power in the national capital for 27 years, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday pulled a major victory by winning the assembly Delhi election 2025, bagging 48 of the total 70 seats.

(L-R) Former Delhi chief ministers of the BJP late Madan Lal Khurana, Sahib Singh Verma and Sushma Swaraj. (HT Archives/X)

The hard-fought battle will allow the saffron party to place its fourth leader in the office of the chief minister of Delhi.

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After a decade of rule in the national capital, the February 5 elections led to the ouster of the Aam Aadmi Party. AAP's loss saw it securing just 22 seats in this year's elections. Meanwhile, Congress continued to have a dismal performance in the electoral battleground, failing to win a single seat in the capital.

Now that a BJP government is all set for a return, people's eyes remain eager to find out the chief ministerial face. It has been said that the decision will be made by the central leadership of the party.

Notably, Delhi's last BJP chief minister was almost 26 years ago. Even then, the capital had to witness the change of three CMs within a five-year span, from 1993 to 1998.

Madan Lal Khurana (1993-1996)

Famously known as 'Delhi ka Sher' (Lion of Delhi), Madan Lal Khurana was the Bharatiya Janata Party's first chief minister of Delhi in 1993, after the 69th Amendment to the Constitution restored an elected assembly in Delhi.

His tenure lasted a total of two years, 86 days, from December 2, 1993 to February 26, 1996.

The 1993 assembly elections saw the saffron party emerging victorious with 49 of the 70 assembly seats in its kitty, while the Congress secured 14 seats, the Janata Dal 4, and the rest three went to Independents.

Khurana was unable to complete his term as, in 1995, his name was involved in the infamous Hawala scandal. Rising political pressure at the time led him to resign from the CM post in 1996.

Sahib Singh Verma (1996-1998)

After 'Delhi ka Sher' came into the picture, BJP's Sahib Singh Verma, the father of giant-killer Parvesh Verma who swept Arvind Kejriwal out in the New Delhi assembly constituency this year.

Sahib Singh's tenure began on February 26, 1996, and lasted for 2 years and 228 days before ending on October 12, 1998.

Sahib was also engaged in a turf war with his predecessor, Madan Lal Khurana, who quit amid allegations of corruption. When Khurana got a clean chit from the courts and returned to stake claim of the CM post, Sahib refused to give up the office.

Eventually, Sahib had to step down as he received major flak for the extremely high onion prices and his alleged failure to deal with the water crises in Delhi.

Sushma Swaraj (1998 October-December)

The last BJP CM was Sushma Swaraj, who was made to step into the post after Sahib Singh Verma's resignation.

Swaraj also became the first woman chief minister of Delhi on October 12, but this stint only lasted 52 days until December 3, 1998. In that year, those who worked under her reigns of the Delhi government say Swaraj was known to have done “firefighting” for the party.

Old party workers have said Swaraj's selection as the Delhi CM was a desperate attempt to salvage the deteriorating situation just months before the assembly elections.

During her time in the office, Swaraj had also set up a special committee to restore the onion supply and directed the arrangement of vans to distribute onions.

But soon came the assembly elections in Delhi, and despite Swaraj's efforts, the people voted the BJP out and brought Congress to power. After this, Sheila Dikshit reigned the capital as the chief minister for 15 years before being defeated by AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal in 2013.

Delhi election

In 2013, the AAP and Congress formed a coalition government with 28 and 8 seats, respectively, in opposition to the BJP's 31 seats in the capital. But it didn't last long, and President's Rule came into play.

In the 2015 election, the AAP bagged 67 of the 70 seats, delivering a stellar performance in the capital and forming a government with Arvind Kejriwal as chief minister. In 2020 again, the AAP secured 62 seats and returned to power.

In 2025, the BJP put an end to its 27-year-long drought, playing to its strength and AAP's 'liquor scam, sheesh mahal' factors. What came more into the frame was former Delhi CM Sahib Singh Verma's son Parvesh defeated Kejriwal by over 4,000 votes.