Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta's political journey did not begin with the Delhi Assembly elections or municipal politics. Her roots go back to the student politics of Delhi University in the 1990s.
Long before she became Delhi Chief Minister, Gupta was an active student leader associated with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). She first became DUSU General Secretary in 1995 and later became President of the Delhi University Students' Union (DUSU) in 1996-97.
But there is another name closely connected with that chapter of her political journey — Alka Lamba.
Today, Lamba is a senior Congress leader and President of the All India Mahila Congress. But in 1995, she was a young student leader from the National Students' Union of India (NSUI), the student wing of the Congress party.
The two women came from rival student organisations, but they worked together in DUSU during that period.
Who Was Rekha Gupta's Congress Rival?
The Congress leader linked to Rekha Gupta's early DUSU years is Alka Lamba.
Lamba won the DUSU President's post in 1995 as an NSUI candidate. At the same time, Rekha Gupta was elected General Secretary from ABVP. This placed the two young leaders in the same student union despite their different political affiliations.
Their political organisations — ABVP and NSUI — have historically been major competing forces in Delhi University student politics.
However, their relationship at that time was not limited to political disagreement.
Lamba later recalled that she and Gupta had ideological differences but also worked together on issues concerning students, including women's safety.
Rekha Gupta's DUSU Journey
Rekha Gupta entered student politics while studying at Delhi University's Daulat Ram College.
According to her official profile, she joined ABVP in 1992. She later became Secretary of the Daulat Ram College Students' Union and moved into Delhi University-wide student politics.
Her DUSU journey can be understood through three important stages:
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Her rise through these positions helped establish her as a prominent student leader before she moved into mainstream politics.
What Happened In 1995?
The year 1995 is particularly important because it connects Rekha Gupta and Alka Lamba.
Lamba won the DUSU President's position from NSUI, while Gupta became General Secretary from ABVP.
Lamba later shared a photograph from that period showing the two taking their oath as DUSU office-bearers.
In her post, Lamba recalled that they had worked together despite coming from different student organisations.
This old photograph became significant decades later because Gupta had gone on to become Delhi Chief Minister while Lamba had continued her own political journey through Congress and other public roles.
ABVP vs NSUI: Two Different Political Camps
To understand the story, it is important to understand the organisations the two leaders represented.
ABVP, or Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, is a major student organisation associated with the broader Sangh Parivar.
NSUI, or National Students' Union of India, is the student wing of the Indian National Congress.
The two organisations have traditionally competed in DUSU elections.
Therefore, Gupta and Lamba represented opposing political camps during their student years.
But being political rivals did not prevent them from working together inside the student union.
Lamba herself later described how they had ideological disagreements while also finding common ground on student-related matters.
Alka Lamba's Memories Of Rekha Gupta
After the BJP selected Rekha Gupta as Delhi Chief Minister in February 2025, Alka Lamba publicly remembered their university days.
Lamba shared a photograph from 1995 and congratulated Gupta on becoming Delhi's Chief Minister.
She recalled that the two had taken the oath together when Lamba was DUSU President and Gupta was General Secretary.
Lamba also said that they had spent a year working together despite belonging to NSUI and ABVP respectively.
The old connection received attention because their political paths had moved in different directions over the following three decades.
From DUSU To Delhi Politics
Rekha Gupta's student-politics career was followed by a long period of organisational and municipal work.
She joined the BJP in 2002 and later held responsibilities in the party's youth wing and Delhi unit. She was also elected as a municipal councillor and served multiple terms in local politics.
Her political career eventually brought her to the Delhi Assembly.
In the 2025 Delhi Assembly election, Gupta won the Shalimar Bagh constituency, defeating AAP's Bandana Kumari by 29,595 votes. She was subsequently chosen as Delhi Chief Minister and took office in February 2025.
What About Alka Lamba?
Alka Lamba also continued in active politics after her DUSU years.
She became President of NSUI from 1997 to 1999 and later held several positions in the Congress organisation. She also served as a Delhi MLA from Chandni Chowk between 2015 and 2019 after winning the seat as an AAP candidate at that time. She later returned to Congress.
In January 2024, she became President of the All India Mahila Congress.
Her political journey therefore took a different route from Gupta's, but both continued to remain active in public life.
From Campus Rivals To Different Political Paths
The story of Gupta and Lamba is also a snapshot of how DUSU politics has served as an entry point into Indian politics.
Over the decades, several former DUSU leaders have moved into state and national politics.
The list includes leaders from different political organisations, including BJP and Congress. Former DUSU leaders such as Arun Jaitley, Vijay Goel, Ajay Maken, Alka Lamba and Rekha Gupta went on to hold important political positions.
For Gupta, the DUSU chapter eventually became the beginning of a political career that moved from student activism to municipal politics and then to the Delhi government.
Today, under the #SevaSankalpAbhiyan, Chief Minister Smt. Rekha Gupta launched 7 development projects worth â‚ą25 crore in Najafgarh, strengthening roads, drainage and civic infrastructure.
— CMO Delhi (@CMODelhi) September 22, 2026
With 10 more works worth â‚ą33 crore already underway, over â‚ą58 crore of development is… pic.twitter.com/H3ac7WiFNb
Why The 1995 Connection Is Important
The 1995 connection is interesting because it shows that political relationships can be more complicated than simple party rivalry.
At the time, Gupta represented ABVP and Lamba represented NSUI.
They were part of different political organisations and had ideological disagreements. Yet, according to Lamba's later recollection, they also worked together on issues affecting students.
Three decades later, their political identities are much more clearly defined: Gupta is a BJP leader serving as Delhi Chief Minister, while Lamba is a Congress leader.
But their shared DUSU history remains a notable part of both political journeys.
Rekha Gupta's Rise From Student Leader To CM
Rekha Gupta's political journey now spans more than three decades.
She began as a college student in Delhi, entered ABVP, moved into DUSU leadership and became its president in 1996-97.
She then spent years working in organisational and municipal politics before becoming an MLA and eventually Chief Minister of Delhi.
The progression is significant because DUSU was the place where her public political career first became visible.
Her journey also reflects the wider importance of Delhi University student politics in Indian political life.
Rekha Gupta And Alka Lamba: Then And Now
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The Bigger DUSU Story
DUSU has often been described as an important training ground for political leadership in Delhi and India.
The student body has produced leaders who later entered municipal politics, state legislatures, Parliament and the Union government.
Rekha Gupta's rise adds another chapter to that history.
Her journey from Daulat Ram College to DUSU and then to the Chief Minister's office shows the long political route that can begin with campus leadership.
At the same time, Alka Lamba's career provides another example of how DUSU leaders can move into mainstream party politics.
Conclusion
Before Rekha Gupta became Delhi Chief Minister, she was already a recognised name in Delhi University student politics.
Her most notable early political connection was with Alka Lamba, who was then an NSUI leader and DUSU President. In 1995, Lamba and Gupta worked together in the student union despite representing two competing political organisations — NSUI and ABVP.
A year later, Gupta became DUSU President herself.
Three decades on, Gupta is the Chief Minister of Delhi, while Lamba continues her political work in Congress.
Their 1995 DUSU story is therefore more than an old campus photograph. It is a glimpse into the early political years of two women who eventually took very different routes in Indian politics.
