Delhi State Guide: History, Government, Elections, Exams

Overview

Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT of Delhi), is the capital of India and a Union Territory with its own elected legislature. It is not a state in the constitutional sense, but it has an Assembly, a council of ministers and a high court. Its recorded area is 1,483 sq km, which makes it small, but the Census of 2011 counted about 16.8 million people in it, and it had the highest population density of any state or Union Territory.

Delhi lies in northern India, at about 28°37′N and 77°14′E, on both banks of the Yamuna. It is surrounded by Haryana on the north, west and south, and it touches Uttar Pradesh across the Yamuna on the east. The Assembly has 70 seats and the territory sends 7 members to the Lok Sabha.

Three things explain Delhi's place in Indian history and in exam papers. First, it has been a capital for most of the last eight centuries: of the Delhi Sultanate from the early 13th century, of the Mughals through Shahjahanabad (today's Old Delhi), and of British India from 1911. New Delhi, the planned imperial city, was inaugurated on 13 February 1931. Second, its constitutional position is unusual. It was a Part C state from 1952, a Union Territory without an Assembly from 1956, and it got a legislature again only after the Sixty-ninth Constitutional Amendment and the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, 1991. Third, it is almost entirely urban: the 2011 Census classed about 97.5 per cent of its people as urban.

Local government is shared between the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) and the Delhi Cantonment Board, and planning is handled by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA).

This first part covers history, geography, administration and demography. This guide does not name sitting office-holders. For the current Lieutenant Governor, Chief Minister and others, see Current Affairs.

For exam preparation

• The area of NCT Delhi is 1,483 sq km (official Economic Survey figure); its length is 51.9 km and its width is 48.48 km.
• Delhi is bordered by Haryana on three sides and by Uttar Pradesh on the east.
• Census 2011 population is about 16.79 million (16,787,941), density about 11,320 per sq km, and sex ratio 868.
• The Sixty-ninth Amendment inserted Articles 239AA and 239AB; the Assembly has 70 seats.
• Delhi has 3 UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Qutub Minar, Humayun's Tomb and the Red Fort.
• As on October 2026, Delhi has 13 revenue districts, up from 11 after a reorganisation notified in December 2025.

History

Delhi is a place where several cities were built, abandoned and rebuilt on the same plain between the Yamuna and the Aravalli spurs. Tradition links it to the Pandavas' Indraprastha; archaeology shows habitation from the Painted Grey Ware age; Tomar and Chauhan Rajputs held a fortress here before 1192; and from 1206 the Delhi Sultanate and then the Mughals ruled from it. The British made it their capital in 1911, and it became the capital of independent India in 1947.

Indraprastha and early Delhi

The Mahabharata names Indraprastha as the capital the Pandavas built on the Yamuna, and Delhi has long been identified with it. Buddhist texts use the form Indapatta. The identification is a tradition and not a settled fact. In the 19th century Alexander Cunningham linked the legendary city with the mound of Purana Qila, and the question is still disputed among scholars.

What archaeology does show is long habitation at that mound. B.B. Lal dug there in 1954–55 and again in 1969–72, and Vasant Kumar Swarnkar led later digs in 2013–14 and 2017–18. They found continuous occupation from the Painted Grey Ware period, dated by sources to roughly 1200 to 1000 BCE, through Mauryan, Shunga, Kushana, Gupta, Rajput, Sultanate and Mughal layers. Painted Grey Ware is the pottery usually associated with the later Vedic age, which is why the Indraprastha story is often discussed alongside it. One source also reports an earlier Ochre Coloured Pottery culture near the Red Fort area at about 2000 BCE; this is a single-source claim.

Tomars and Chauhans

The Tomars are the first dynasty tied to the Delhi area itself. Bardic tradition places their early base at Anangpur, with the founding of the dynasty in about 736 CE, and credits Anangpal (the second of that name) with building the citadel of Lal Kot in 1052 CE. Lal Kot is the oldest of the fortified settlements that later made up Delhi, and it lies in the Mehrauli area. The Tomars are also credited by tradition with Suraj Kund, a reservoir, and the Anangpur dam, and with moving the iron pillar to where it stands today. Much of this rests on medieval bardic legends, which historians do not treat as reliable, so dates before the 12th century should be read as traditional.

The Chahamanas (Chauhans) of Shakambhari, under Vigraharaja IV, took Delhi from the Tomars in about the middle of the 12th century, around 1152 CE. Prithviraj III, the best-known Chauhan ruler, expanded Lal Kot into Qila Rai Pithora (a date of 1180 is reported). In 1192 Muhammad of Ghor defeated him at the Second Battle of Tarain, in present-day Haryana, which opened Delhi to Turkish rule.

Delhi Sultanate, 1206 to 1526

The Delhi Sultanate is counted as five successive dynasties, all of which held Delhi as a capital or a major seat.

Dynasty	Years	Points to remember
Mamluk (Slave)	1206–1290	Founded by Qutbuddin Aibak, a former slave of Muhammad of Ghor; includes Iltutmish and Razia Sultana, a rare woman ruler
Khalji	1290–1320	Expansion under Alauddin Khalji, who raised the farm tax and set up strict market controls
Tughlaq	1320–1414	Widest extent under Muhammad bin Tughluq; base-metal coin experiment caused economic trouble
Sayyid	1414–1451	Weak rule after Timur's 1398 raid
Lodi	1451–1526	Ended when Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodi at the First Battle of Panipat in 1526

Aibak became the first Sultan in 1206 and began the Qutub Minar, which, with the nearby mosque and the iron pillar, forms the Qutub complex in Mehrauli. The Sultans built a series of cities within today's Delhi, and it is common to list Siri, Tughlaqabad, Jahanpanah and Firozabad among them;. In 1398 Timur sacked Delhi, leaving the city, in the words of one summary, destroyed and in ruins. The Sultanate is also credited with repelling Mongol attacks, and with fostering the Hindustani language and Indo-Islamic architecture.

Mughals and Shahjahanabad

After the Battle of Panipat in 1526 Babur's Mughals held Delhi, though Agra was often the working capital. Humayun began a fort and city, Din Panah, at the Purana Qila mound, and Sher Shah Suri, who drove Humayun out, finished it; sources differ on whether the fort dates from 1538 or the years after 1540, so treat the exact date as approximate. Sher Shah's rule lasted from 1540 to 1555 in the standard account. In 1556 Hemu briefly took Delhi before the Second Battle of Panipat restored the Mughals under Akbar.

Shah Jahan moved the capital back from Agra and built a new walled city, Shahjahanabad, between 1638 (or 1639) and 1648. It centred on the Red Fort (Lal Qila), and Ustad Ahmad Lahori is named as the chief architect. The city had a quarter-circle shape and covered about 1,500 acres with 14 gates; its walls were reported to have been rebuilt in red stone in 1657. Chandni Chowk, its main market avenue, is said to have been laid out by Jahanara Begum, Shah Jahan's daughter, and the Jama Masjid, India's largest mosque, anchors the other end. Today this area is "Old Delhi".

Mughal power weakened in the 18th century. Nadir Shah of Persia invaded in 1739 and sacked the city; the toll of civilian deaths is reported as over 30,000. A treaty in 1752 made the Marathas protectors of the Mughal throne, and they captured Delhi in 1757 (as reported). A Sikh force under Jassa Singh Ahluwalia held it briefly in 1783. In 1803 the British East India Company defeated the Marathas and took control, leaving the Mughal emperor as a nominal ruler.

1857

In May 1857 sepoys who had risen at Meerut marched to Delhi and rallied around the aged emperor Bahadur Shah II (Zafar) as the symbol of the rebellion. The British siege of the city ran from 8 June to 21 September 1857. They assembled about 9,000 troops, roughly 3,000 European and 6,000 Sikhs, Punjabis and Gurkhas, against about 12,000 sepoys and a larger number of irregulars. Brigadier John Nicholson was mortally wounded in the final assault. Captain William Hodson captured the emperor, and executed three of his sons. British and Company losses were reported as 1,254 killed and 4,493 wounded. The fall of Delhi took away much of the rebellion's national character.

British capital, 1911 and 1931

At the Delhi Durbar of 12 December 1911, King George V and Queen Mary, the only reigning sovereigns to attend a Delhi Durbar in person, proclaimed themselves Emperor and Empress of India. The King announced that the capital would move from Calcutta to Delhi, and cancelled the 1905 partition of Bengal. Earlier durbars had been held in 1877 (for Queen Victoria's title of Empress of India) and 1903 (for Edward VII).

The new city was designed by Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker, and the central government district is still called "Lutyens' Delhi". After nearly two decades of building, Viceroy Irwin inaugurated New Delhi on 13 February 1931. In 1912 Delhi was made a separate province under a Chief Commissioner.

Independence and Partition

Partition in 1947 changed the city's population more than any other event. About 500,000 Hindu and Sikh refugees are reported to have arrived, and about 300,000 Muslims left. Delhi's population rose from about 700,000 to 1.7 million by 1951; the Census put it at 17.44 lakh that year. The pressure on housing led to the creation of the Delhi Development Authority in 1957. Delhi hosted the first Asian Games in 1951, and the Commonwealth Games in 2010.

Part C state, Union Territory and NCT

The path to Delhi's present status has four steps, and it is a favourite topic for exams.

Year	Event
7 March 1952	Legislative Assembly of the Part C state of Delhi first constituted under the Government of Part C States Act, 1951; 48 members; Brahm Prakash was the first Chief Minister
1 November 1956	States Reorganisation Act takes effect; Assembly and Council of Ministers abolished; Delhi becomes a Union Territory
September 1966	Delhi Administration Act, 1966 creates the Delhi Metropolitan Council with 56 elected and 5 nominated members; it was only advisory
1991–1993	Sixty-ninth Amendment (in force from 1 February 1992) inserts Articles 239AA and 239AB; the Government of NCT of Delhi Act, 1991 revives the Assembly; the new Assembly was constituted on 14 December 1993 with 70 seats

Under the 1991 arrangement Delhi continues to be a Union Territory, and the Assembly and council of ministers have limited powers. The Economic Survey of Delhi describes the result as a dual jurisdiction of the Union and the territorial government.

For exam preparation

• Tradition identifies Indraprastha with Delhi; Cunningham linked it with Purana Qila, and B.B. Lal excavated the mound in 1954–55 and 1969–72.
• Anangpal (Tomar) is credited by tradition with building Lal Kot in 1052; the Chauhans renamed it Qila Rai Pithora.
• Muhammad of Ghor defeated Prithviraj III at the Second Battle of Tarain in 1192.
• The Delhi Sultanate ran from 1206 (Qutbuddin Aibak) to 1526 (First Battle of Panipat) under five dynasties.
• Shah Jahan built Shahjahanabad between 1638/39 and 1648, including the Red Fort and Chandni Chowk.
• The siege of Delhi lasted from 8 June to 21 September 1857.
• The capital shift was announced on 12 December 1911; New Delhi was inaugurated on 13 February 1931.
• Delhi was a Part C state from 1952, a Union Territory from 1 November 1956, and has had an Assembly again since December 1993.

Geography

Delhi sits on the Indo-Gangetic plain at the northern edge of the Aravalli system. The Yamuna runs through it from north to south, a long quartzite ridge crosses its western and southern parts, and the climate is a hot, dry-summer humid subtropical type with a monsoon and a cold, foggy winter. The territory is small, 1,483 sq km, but it holds one of the world's largest urban populations and some of the world's worst winter air.

Location, size and boundaries

The official Economic Survey describes Delhi as standing in a triangle formed by the Yamuna on the east and spurs of the Aravalli range on the west and south. The territory is 51.9 km long and 48.48 km wide. It borders Haryana on every side except the east, where the Yamuna separates it from Uttar Pradesh. Wikipedia gives the area as 1,484 sq km; the official figure of 1,483 sq km is used here.

The area is divided into urban and rural parts, and the balance has changed fast. In 1991, 797.66 sq km (53.79 per cent) was rural; by 2011 only 369.35 sq km (24.91 per cent) was rural and 1,113.65 sq km (75.09 per cent) was urban. Villages fell from 300 in 1961 to 112 in 2011, while census towns (settlements that meet urban criteria but are not formally notified) rose from 3 in 1971 to 110 in 2011.

Physiography

Most of Delhi is flat alluvial plain. The land is highest along the Ridge, and the Ridge is reported to reach about 318 m. The Yamuna floodplain on the east is low, fertile and prone to flooding. Two features define the landscape.

The Yamuna and its plain. The Yamuna enters Delhi from Haryana in the north and leaves it in the south-east, where it goes on towards Uttar Pradesh. The flat land away from the river is older alluvium, while the floodplain carries newer silt.

The Delhi Ridge. The Ridge is the northern end of the Aravalli range. It is made of quartzite, extends for about 35 km from Tughlaqabad towards Wazirabad, and is often called the "green lungs" of the city. It is also said to shield Delhi from hot desert winds from Rajasthan. It has four named segments.

Segment	Area (reported)	Location and notes
Northern Ridge	about 87 ha now (170 ha reserved in 1915)	Near Delhi University; reserved forest 1915
Central Ridge	864 ha originally	Sadar Bazaar to Dhaula Kuan; reserved forest 1914
South-Central Ridge	633 ha	Around Sanjay Van, JNU and Vasant Kunj; much encroached; about 70 ha forms Tilpath Valley Biodiversity Park
Southern Ridge	about 6,200 ha	Tughlaqabad to the Delhi–Haryana border; least urbanised; includes Asola Bhatti and Bandhwari

Between 1994 and 1996 a major part of the Ridge was notified, which stopped construction; one source also says 7,777 hectares were declared reserved forest in 1993. The Ridge areas above are approximate.

Rivers and drains

The Yamuna is the only major river through Delhi. It is 1,376 km long, rises at the Yamunotri glacier in Uttarakhand, flows through Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, and joins the Ganga at Prayagraj. Delhi relies on it for a large share of its water supply, with one source putting this at more than 70 per cent.

The stretch between the Wazirabad and Okhla barrages is about 22 km, less than 2 per cent of the river's length, and one report credits it with nearly 80 per cent of the river's pollution, mainly from untreated sewage carried by about 15 drains. Floods in the river have repeatedly threatened the low-lying floodplain. Delhi's many drains, which empty into the Yamuna, carry much of the sewage load.

Climate

Delhi has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cwa), shaped by the Himalayas to the north and the Thar Desert to the west. Five seasons are usually described.

Season	Months	Character
Summer	mid-April to late June	Very hot, hot dry winds (loo), thunderstorms and dust storms
Monsoon	late June to mid-September	Most of the year's rain; high humidity
Autumn	late September to November	Pleasant days, cool nights; air quality worsens from October
Winter	December to early February	Cool to cold; dense fog; minima near freezing
Spring	mid-February to early April	Warming up; occasional rain

Average annual rainfall is about 774 mm (a second source says about 797 mm for the monsoon alone, so the exact figure depends on the station). Record temperatures are disputed in the sources we opened: one gives a record high of 47.2°C and a record low of −0.6°C, another reports a range of −2.2°C to 49.9°C with the highest reading in May 2024. This guide therefore says only that extremes of about 47 to 50°C have been reported, and leaves exact records out.

Air quality

Delhi's air is the most discussed environmental problem of the territory. The WHO and IQAir ranked Delhi the fourth most polluted city in the world in 2022, and the World Air Quality Report 2024 is reported to have called it the most polluted capital city. Air quality is worst from October to February. In November 2024 Delhi recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 491, in the "severe plus" band.

The Ministry of Earth Sciences is quoted as attributing about 41 per cent of the pollution to vehicles, 21.5 per cent to dust and 18 per cent to industry; stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana, power plants and construction add to it. Public measures include the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), which sets tiered restrictions as AQI worsens, and the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), established through a 2021 ordinance. The Badarpur thermal plant was permanently closed in October 2018, and the Supreme Court banned firecracker sales in 2017.

Soils, forests and wildlife

Soils are alluvial. Forest cover is limited and sits mostly on the Ridge and in parks and gardens. The main protected and green areas are below.

Area	Notes (reported)
Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary	About 32.71 sq km of biodiversity area in the southern Ridge on the Delhi–Haryana border
Mangar Bani	Sacred-grove hill forest of about 5,000 ha, on the Delhi–Haryana border (it lies in Haryana); also a Stone Age tool-making site
Sanjay Van	Ridge forest in the south-central segment near JNU
Tilpath Valley Biodiversity Park	About 70 ha carved out of the south-central Ridge

Delhi has no significant mining.

For exam preparation

• Delhi's area is 1,483 sq km, length 51.9 km and width 48.48 km.
• The Yamuna runs on the east of the city and the Aravalli spurs lie on the west and south.
• The Delhi Ridge is about 35 km long, is made of quartzite, and is the northern end of the Aravalli system.
• Between Wazirabad and Okhla the Yamuna is about 22 km long in Delhi, and this stretch accounts for most of its pollution.
• Delhi has a humid subtropical climate; average annual rainfall is about 774 mm.
• GRAP is the tiered air-pollution response plan; CAQM was set up by a 2021 ordinance.
• Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary lies in the southern Ridge on the Haryana border.

Administration and districts

Delhi is a Union Territory whose government shares power with the Union. The Lieutenant Governor represents the President, the Assembly and Chief Minister run the departments the Constitution gives to the territory, and the Delhi administration is divided into one division, 13 revenue districts and 39 sub-divisions as on October 2026. Municipal functions sit with three separate local bodies, and planning rests with the DDA.

Divisions and district reorganisation

Delhi has a single division under a Divisional Commissioner. Each revenue district is led by a District Magistrate (also called a Deputy Commissioner), and each sub-division by a Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM).

The number of districts has grown in steps. Until 1996 Delhi was a single-district territory; the Delhi government notified nine districts and 27 sub-divisions in that year, and the Census of 2001 and 2011 was taken on that nine-district pattern. By the time of the 2016–17 Economic Survey there were 11 districts and 33 sub-divisions.

In December 2025 the Delhi cabinet approved, and the government notified, a reorganisation of the 11 districts into 13. Reports say the cabinet approved the plan on 11 December 2025 and that the notification was issued on Thursday, 25 December 2025, with immediate effect; one source says the new structure took effect on 1 January 2026, so the exact date is reported and not confirmed. Three new districts, Old Delhi, Central North and Outer North, were created, and Shahdara district was dissolved and merged with others, so the net increase is two. Sub-divisions rose from 33 to 39. The stated aim was to align revenue district boundaries with Municipal Corporation zones, the NDMC and the Cantonment Board, because mismatched boundaries had caused delays in services, complaints and land records. The government has also announced plans for "mini secretariats" in all 13 districts, which were not confirmed as built.

District table (as on October 2026)

District headquarters were not verified and are left out. Sub-divisions below are examples drawn from reports; the boundaries of Central, Central North and North West are described differently in different reports.

District	Sub-divisions named in reports	Note
Central	Karol Bagh, Patel Nagar	Gained some areas in 2025; lost the Old Delhi markets
Old Delhi	Chandni Chowk, Sadar Bazaar	New in 2025
Central North	Model Town; Shakur Basti and Shalimar Bagh (reports differ)	New in 2025
North	Burari, Badli	Model Town moved out
Outer North	Mundka, Narela	New in 2025
North West	Kirari, Rohini	Largest district by 2011 population on the old pattern
North East	Karawal Nagar, Yamuna Vihar	Highest density on the old pattern
East	Gandhi Nagar, Patparganj
New Delhi	New Delhi, Delhi Cantonment	Seat of the NDMC area
South	Chhatarpur, Mehrauli
South East	Jangpura, Badarpur
South West	Najafgarh, Dwarka
West	Vikaspuri, Janakpuri

Local government

Delhi has three types of urban local body, and more than one source stresses their different jurisdictions.

Body	Area	Key facts
Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD)	1,397.3 sq km	Created under an Act of Parliament, started 7 April 1958; 12 zones; 250 elected wards plus 10 nominated members; unified again on 22 May 2022
New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC)	42.7 sq km	Administers the Lutyens' Delhi area, with Parliament, the President's residence and Connaught Place
Delhi Cantonment Board	42.3 sq km	Class I cantonment established 1914; under the Cantonments Act, 2006; 110,351 people in 2011; controlled by the Defence Estates organisation

The MCD in three eras. The single MCD served about 95 per cent of the area and 98 per cent of the people when it was divided into three corporations in 2012: North, South and East. Parliament passed the Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill in March–April 2022, and the unified corporation began on 22 May 2022. Its first election after unification was held on 4 December 2022. Between 2012 and 2022 the three bodies were separate, and the NDMC and the Cantonment Board were not affected.

The DDA. The Delhi Development Authority was set up under the Delhi Development Act, 1957 (it dates from 30 December 1957) and works under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. It is responsible for land, housing and the master plans. These were a plan in 1962, a revision in 1982 (Master Plan 2001) and another in 2007 (Master Plan 2021); a Master Plan 2041 is being prepared, and its present status is not confirmed here. The head of the DDA is the Lieutenant Governor; the Vice-Chairman is the working executive head.

Rural governance is minor in Delhi. The 2011 Census counted 112 villages and about 4.19 lakh rural people, and most of Delhi's former villages are now census towns. Fifth and Sixth Schedule areas do not apply to Delhi.

For exam preparation

• Delhi is a single division with 13 revenue districts and 39 sub-divisions as on October 2026.
• The 2025 reorganisation created Old Delhi, Central North and Outer North districts and dissolved Shahdara.
• Delhi had nine districts from 1996 and 11 by the time of the 2016–17 Economic Survey.
• The MCD began on 7 April 1958, was split into three in 2012 and was unified on 22 May 2022.
• The MCD covers 1,397.3 sq km in 12 zones, and has 250 elected wards.
• The NDMC covers 42.7 sq km and the Delhi Cantonment Board 42.3 sq km.
• The DDA was set up under the Delhi Development Act, 1957.

Demography

Delhi is the most densely settled part of India and one of its most urbanised. Census 2011 counted 16,787,941 people, with 868 women for every 1,000 men, a literacy rate of 86.21 per cent and about 97.5 per cent of the population in urban areas. Growth has slowed sharply: the decade to 2011 saw a rise of 21 per cent, against 47 per cent in the decade before.

Census 2011 at a glance

Census 2011 is still the latest census published, and every figure here is from it unless stated.

Indicator	Delhi (Census 2011)
Population	16,787,941
Males / females	8,987,326 / 7,800,615
Decadal growth, 2001–11	21.2 per cent (47.02 per cent in 1991–2001)
Density	11,320 per sq km (highest of any state or UT)
Sex ratio	868 females per 1,000 males (821 in 2001)
Child population (0–6)	2,012,454; child sex ratio 871
Literacy	86.21 per cent (male 90.94, female 80.76)
Urban share	About 97.5 per cent
Share of India's population	1.38 per cent
Households	3,340,538; average size about 5.02

Final-count values are used above; provisional counts (167.53 lakh and a density of 11,297) differ slightly. The previous-decade growth rate is taken as 47.02 per cent from the Economic Survey.

Population growth, 1951 to 2011

Census	Population (lakh)	Decadal growth (per cent)
1951	17.44	not given
1961	26.59	52.44
1971	40.66	52.93
1981	62.20	53.00
1991	94.21	51.45
2001	138.51	47.02
2011	167.53 (provisional; final 167.88)	20.96 (provisional)

Delhi's share of India's population rose from 0.48 per cent in 1951 to 1.38 per cent in 2011. The Economic Survey links the slower growth in 2001–11 partly to the growth of NCR towns such as Gurugram, Faridabad, Noida, Ghaziabad and Meerut, which draw migrants who would earlier have settled in Delhi, and to a fall in fertility. Delhi covers about 0.05 per cent of India's area.

Districts at the 2011 Census

The 2011 Census used the nine-district pattern, not today's 13 districts. Densities are from the provisional figures.

District (2011 pattern)	Population	Density per sq km	Sex ratio
North West	3,651,261	8,298	862
South	2,733,752	10,935	859
West	2,531,583	19,625	876
South West	2,292,363	5,445	836
North East	2,240,749	37,346	886
East	1,707,725	26,683	883
North	883,418	14,973	871
Central	578,671	23,147	892
New Delhi	133,713	3,820	811

Over 53 per cent of Delhi's population in 2011 lived in the North West, South and West districts. North East was the densest district and New Delhi had the lowest density and the lowest ratio of women to men among the nine.

Religion

According to Census 2011, Hindus were 81.68 per cent of the population, Muslims 12.86 per cent, Sikhs 3.40 per cent and Jains 0.99 per cent. Christians and Buddhists make up the small remainder.

Languages and migration

The official languages are Hindi and English, with Punjabi and Urdu as additional official languages. Hindi is the first language of most people. District tables show the pattern: in West Delhi, 75.46 per cent gave Hindi as their first language and 14.52 per cent Punjabi; in North Delhi, 85.84 per cent gave Hindi and 4.71 per cent Punjabi; Bhojpuri, Haryanvi, Urdu, Bengali, Rajasthani and Maithili appear as smaller groups. The Punjabi share reflects the arrival of refugees at Partition.

Delhi is a migrant city. One report on the 2011 Census says migrants from other states in Delhi and Mumbai together numbered 9.9 million, almost a third of the two cities' combined population of 29.2 million. Migration came mainly from the Hindi-speaking states (Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana and others), according to one study.

Urbanisation

Delhi's urban area grew by 20.44 per cent between 2001 and 2011, to 1,113.65 sq km. The Economic Survey notes that the 110 census towns in Delhi are, in revenue records, in rural areas and are not part of the notified urban area. The rural population fell from about 9.49 lakh in 1991 to 4.19 lakh in 2011, and about 97.5 per cent of Delhi lives in urban areas.

For exam preparation

• Census 2011 population of Delhi is 16,787,941 (males 8,987,326, females 7,800,615).
• Density is about 11,320 per sq km; Delhi had the highest density of any state or UT in 2011.
• Sex ratio is 868 (821 in 2001) and child sex ratio is 871.
• Literacy is 86.21 per cent: 90.94 per cent for males and 80.76 per cent for females.
• Decadal growth was 21.2 per cent in 2001–11, down from 47.02 per cent in 1991–2001.
• Hindus are 81.68 per cent, Muslims 12.86 per cent, Sikhs 3.40 per cent and Jains 0.99 per cent.
• The most populous district in 2011 was North West and the densest was North East.

How the state is governed

Delhi is not a full state. It is the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT of Delhi), a Union Territory with its own elected Legislative Assembly and Council of Ministers, created by Article 239AA of the Constitution. The Constitution (Sixty-ninth Amendment) Act, 1991 inserted Articles 239AA and 239AB, and Parliament then passed the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, 1991 (the GNCTD Act) to fill in the details. The result is a shared-power arrangement: an elected government for most subjects, a Lieutenant Governor appointed by the Centre, and three subjects kept outside the Assembly's reach. This section describes structure, which stays the same from one government to the next. Names of sitting office-holders change, so this guide does not list them; for the current Lieutenant Governor, Chief Minister, ministers, Speaker, Chief Secretary, Police Commissioner and Chief Justice, use our current affairs pages and the official Delhi portals.

The executive

Office	Role	How filled
Lieutenant Governor (LG)	Administrator and constitutional head of the Territory; summons and prorogues the Assembly, assents to or reserves bills, appoints the Chief Minister	Appointed by the President, acting on the Union government's advice. The post dates from 7 November 1966; before it, Delhi had Chief Commissioners. The incumbent is the 21st person in Wikipedia's numbering (Wikipedia)
Chief Minister	Heads the elected government	Appointed by the President (Article 239AA(5)); in practice the leader who commands a majority in the Assembly
Council of ministers	Runs the departments the Assembly can legislate on	Other ministers are appointed on the Chief Minister's advice; the total may not exceed 10 per cent of the Assembly, which is 7 of 70 (Article 239AA(4))
Chief Secretary	Head of the civil service and secretariat	Senior officer of the central all-India services, drawn from the AGMUT cadre; control over such posts is part of the services dispute described below
Police Commissioner	Heads Delhi Police	IPS officer; Delhi Police reports to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, not to the elected government

Who decides what

Article 239AA(3) lets the Assembly make laws on any subject in the State List or Concurrent List that applies to a Union Territory, with three exceptions: public order, police and land. These are entries 1, 2 and 18 of the State List, together with related entries 64, 65 and 66. Parliament keeps full power over Delhi on every subject. Where the Lieutenant Governor and the Council of Ministers differ on a matter, the proviso to Article 239AA(4) requires the LG to refer it to the President and act on the President's decision; in urgent matters the LG may act first.

Three milestones define how this works in practice:

• 4 July 2018 (Supreme Court Constitution Bench). The bench held that the LG is bound by the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers except on land, police and public order, that the LG is not an obstructionist authority, and that the power to refer differences to the President must be used only in exceptional cases (reported by legal commentary; we could not open the judgment itself).
• 11 May 2023 (Constitution Bench). In a unanimous decision, the court held that the NCT government has legislative and executive power over services (the administrative civil service) except in matters of police, public order and land.
• 2021 and 2023 Acts. Parliament amended the GNCTD Act twice. The 2021 amendment (passed 22 and 24 March 2021, assented 28 March, in force 27 April 2021) defined "Government" in Delhi laws as the Lieutenant Governor, required the LG's opinion on certain executive actions and restricted the Assembly from inquiring into day-to-day administration. After the May 2023 judgment, the Centre issued an ordinance on 19 May 2023, which became an Act after the Lok Sabha passed it on 3 August (voice vote), the Rajya Sabha on 7 August (131 to 102) and the President assented on 11 August 2023. It created a National Capital Civil Services Authority of the Chief Minister, Chief Secretary and Principal Home Secretary, with the LG holding the final say. Wikipedia reports that both amending Acts were repealed by the Repealing and Amending Act, 2025 with effect from 20 December 2025. Repealing an amending Act does not by itself undo changes already written into the principal Act, so we do not claim that the 2021 or 2023 position has changed; check India Code for the current text of the GNCTD Act.

Bodies and local government

The Delhi State Election Commission (Articles 243K and 243ZA; set up October 1993) and the Lokayukta are covered in the next section. Civic government is split between the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD, unified in May 2022), the New Delhi Municipal Council and the Delhi Cantonment Board. The Delhi Development Authority, which controls land and planning, answers to the Union government. Divisions, districts and tehsils are covered in Part A.

For exam preparation

• Delhi is a Union Territory with a legislature under Article 239AA, inserted by the 69th Amendment (1991).
• The Assembly cannot legislate on public order, police and land; Parliament can legislate on any subject for Delhi.
• The Council of Ministers is capped at 10 per cent of the Assembly, which is 7 ministers for 70 seats.
• The Lieutenant Governor is appointed by the President; the Chief Minister is also appointed by the President under Article 239AA(5).
• The Supreme Court's Constitution Bench ruled in July 2018 that the LG is bound by ministerial advice outside the three excluded subjects, and in May 2023 that services are within the elected government's domain.
• The Delhi State Election Commission was set up in October 1993 and conducts municipal elections.

Legislature, Parliament and judiciary

Delhi has a single-chamber Legislative Assembly (Vidhan Sabha) of 70 members, with no Legislative Council. It sends 7 members to the Lok Sabha and 3 to the Rajya Sabha. The Assembly meets at the Old Secretariat building in Vikram Nagar, Civil Lines, a structure built in 1912 to house the Imperial Legislative Council and later used by India's central legislature until 1927 (Wikipedia). The Delhi High Court at New Delhi is the territory's own High Court.

Legislative Assembly

The Assembly has a five-year term and a majority mark of 36. The first Assembly was constituted in 1952 under the Government of Part C States Act, 1951 and was abolished in 1956 under the States Reorganisation Act. From 1966 to 1990 Delhi had a Metropolitan Council with 56 elected and 5 nominated members, led by a Chief Executive Councillor; it was an advisory body without lawmaking power. The Assembly was revived by the 69th Amendment and first elected in 1993. The 2025 election produced the Eighth Assembly of the modern series; seven earlier ones had completed their terms or ended early (1993–98, 1998–2003, 2003–08, 2008–13, 2013–14, 2015–20, 2020–25) (Wikipedia).

Of the 70 seats, 12 are reserved for Scheduled Castes and none for Scheduled Tribes, as fixed by the 2008 delimitation. The reserved seats are Bawana, Sultanpur Majra, Mangol Puri, Karol Bagh, Patel Nagar, Madipur, Ambedkar Nagar, Deoli, Trilokpuri, Kondli, Seemapuri and Gokalpur (Gokulpuri), per a Wikipedia-sourced list; check the Election Commission's delimitation order if exact spellings matter.

The result of the February 2025 election, the latest, is below. Strength changes through by-elections, resignations and defections, so we give the result, not the live position.

Party	Seats, 2025 election	Vote share
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)	48	45.56%
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)	22	43.57%
Indian National Congress (INC)	0	6.34%
Total	70

The BJP's alliance (NDA) share is reported as 47.15 per cent (Wikipedia). The next general election to the Assembly is due by early 2030 under the normal five-year term.

Speakers

The Speaker is elected by the members. The first Speaker of the modern Assembly was Charti Lal Goel (1993–98). Past Speakers are listed in the next section; the incumbent is not named here.

Rajya Sabha

Delhi has 3 Rajya Sabha seats. Members are elected by the MLAs for six-year terms. Wikipedia-linked reports say the three seats fall in three different cycles fixed when the Rajya Sabha was formed in 1952, so each is filled by a separate election rather than one joint contest. We have not listed members.

Lok Sabha

Delhi has 7 constituencies: Chandni Chowk, North East Delhi, East Delhi, New Delhi, North West Delhi, West Delhi and South Delhi. Only North West Delhi is reserved for Scheduled Castes; the other six are General. No seat is reserved for Scheduled Tribes. We do not list MPs.

Delhi High Court

The Delhi High Court was established on 31 October 1966, when it separated from the Punjab High Court, and sits at Sher Shah Road, New Delhi. Its first Chief Justice was K. S. Hegde (31 October 1966 to 16 July 1967). Wikipedia gives its sanctioned strength as 45 permanent and 15 additional judges, 60 in all; sanctioned strength can be revised, so treat it as indicative. Its jurisdiction is the NCT of Delhi. The district judiciary sits in seven court complexes: Tis Hazari, Patiala House, Karkardooma, Rohini, Dwarka, Saket and Rouse Avenue, with 11 district courts across them (Wikipedia). Chief Justices with completed tenures are listed in the next section.

Lokayukta and other bodies

The Delhi Lokayukta works under the Delhi Lokayukta and Upa-Lokayuktas Act, 1995 and became operational on 22 September 1997. It inquires into complaints of corruption against public servants including ministers and legislators; police and central government officers are outside its reach (Wikipedia). The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 came into force on 16 January 2014 and asked each state to set up its Lokayukta within a year. The appointment procedure is described differently across sources (consultation with the Chief Justice and Leader of the Opposition in one, a wider committee in another), so we do not state it. The State Election Commissioner is appointed by the Lieutenant Governor and can be removed only as a High Court judge can; the Commission sits at Nigam Bhawan, Kashmere Gate.

For exam preparation

• The Delhi Assembly has 70 seats: 58 General and 12 SC; there are no ST seats.
• Delhi has a unicameral legislature, 7 Lok Sabha seats (North West Delhi is SC) and 3 Rajya Sabha seats.
• The Delhi Metropolitan Council (1966–1990) was advisory, with 56 elected and 5 nominated members.
• The Delhi High Court was established on 31 October 1966; the Assembly meets at the Old Secretariat.
• The Delhi Lokayukta started operating on 22 September 1997.
• The Assembly was abolished in 1956 and revived by the 69th Amendment, with the first poll in 1993.

Elections

Delhi has held nine Assembly elections: one in 1952, when it was a Part C state with a 48-member Assembly, and eight since the 69th Amendment revived the House (1993, 1998, 2003, 2008, 2013, 2015, 2020, 2025). Congress under one leader won three in a row (1998, 2003, 2008). The 2013 poll produced a hung House. Then the Aam Aadmi Party, formed only in November 2012, won 67 and 62 seats in 2015 and 2020, and in February 2025 the BJP won 48 and returned to power after 27 years. In Lok Sabha polls, Delhi has swung between Congress sweeps (2009) and BJP sweeps (1999, 2014, 2019, 2024).

Assembly elections, 1952 and 1993 to 2025

Seat counts and vote shares are from Wikipedia's election pages; we have not cross-checked each against Election Commission statistical reports.

Year	Polling	Seats	Turnout	Seats by party	Leading vote shares	Government
1952	n/c	48	58.52%	INC 39, Jana Sangh 5, Socialist 2, Hindu Mahasabha 1, Ind 1	INC 52.09%, Jana Sangh 21.89%	INC
1993	6 Nov	70	61.75%	BJP 49, INC 14, JD 4, Ind 3	BJP 47.82%, INC 34.48%, JD 12.65%	BJP
1998	25 Nov	70	48.99%	INC 52, BJP 15, JD 1, Ind 2	INC 47.75%, BJP 34.02%	INC
2003	1 Dec	70	53.42%	INC 47, BJP 20, NCP 1, JD(S) 1, Ind 1	INC 48.13%, BJP 35.22%	INC
2008	29 Nov	70	57.60%	INC 43, BJP 23, BSP 2, LJP 1, Ind 1	INC 40.31%, BJP 36.34%, BSP 14.05%	INC
2013	4 Dec	70	66.02%	BJP 31, AAP 28, INC 8, others 3	BJP 33.07%, AAP 29.49%, INC 24.55%	AAP minority govt, INC outside support
2015	7 Feb	70	67.47%	AAP 67, BJP 3, INC 0	AAP 54.3%, BJP 32.2%, INC 9.7%	AAP
2020	8 Feb	70	62.82%	AAP 62, BJP 8, INC 0	AAP 53.57%, BJP 39.77%, INC 4.26%	AAP
2025	5 Feb	70	60.54%	BJP 48, AAP 22, INC 0	BJP 45.56%, AAP 43.57%, INC 6.34%	BJP

"n/c" means not confirmed: sources conflict on the 1952 polling date (one gives 27 March, yet the Chief Minister took office on 17 March 1952), so we omit it. The 1952 House of 48 members came from 42 constituencies, six of which elected two members each. The 2008 row's 43 + 23 + 2 + 1 + 1 equals 70; the 1 independent is our arithmetic, not a source statement. The "others 3" in 2013 are, to our understanding, one Shiromani Akali Dal member (allied with the BJP), one JD(U) and one independent, but we did not confirm this from a source page. AAP's debut and the BJP's refusal to form a government are covered below.

The first Assembly, 1952 to 1956

Delhi was a Part C state, with an Assembly set up under the Government of Part C States Act, 1951 (the Assembly's own history gives 7 March 1952 as its founding date). Chaudhary Brahm Prakash led the government from 17 March 1952 to 12 February 1955, followed by Gurmukh Nihal Singh until 1 November 1956. The States Reorganisation Act, 1956 abolished the Assembly and the office of Chief Minister for 37 years, and Delhi became a Union Territory under the President.

The restored Assembly: 1993 to 2008

The 1993 election was the first in 37 years and followed Delhi's formal designation as the National Capital Territory. The BJP won 49 of 70 seats and formed the government. Three Chief Ministers followed in five years; the BJP lost the 1998 election, falling to 15 seats. Congress won 52 and began the longest unbroken run in the Chief Minister's office. In 2003 Congress kept 47 seats (turnout 53.42 per cent), and in 2008 it won 43 even as the BSP took 14.05 per cent of the vote and two seats. The 2008 poll was the first held on the delimitation of that year (see below).

2013: a hung Assembly

The 4 December 2013 election was the first contested by AAP and was among the first with a "None of the above" option on the voting machine. The BJP won 31 seats and AAP 28, with Congress reduced to 8 from 43. The sitting Chief Minister, who had held office since 1998, lost her New Delhi seat to the AAP leader. With no party at 36, the BJP, the largest, declined to form a government. AAP formed a minority government on 28 December 2013 with Congress backing from outside, and its leader became Chief Minister. The government resigned on 14 February 2014 after failing to pass the Jan Lokpal Bill, and President's rule followed for a year.

2015: a landslide

After the Assembly was dissolved (the LG recommended dissolution on 4 November 2014 and the Election Commission announced the schedule on 12 January 2015), voting on 7 February 2015 gave AAP 67 of 70 seats at 54.3 per cent, up 24.8 points. The BJP kept 3 and Congress none. Turnout was 67.47 per cent, the highest of the modern series. 67 is also the largest seat total any party has won in a Delhi Assembly election since 1993 (our reading of the table above). The BJP's declared Chief Ministerial candidate lost her own seat by 2,277 votes (Wikipedia).

2020: AAP repeats

Voting on 8 February 2020 returned AAP with 62 seats and 53.57 per cent (4,974,592 votes). The BJP gained 6.21 points to 39.77 per cent but won 8 seats, and Congress again won none. Turnout fell to 62.82 per cent.

2025: BJP returns

Polling on 5 February 2025 and counting on 8 February returned the BJP with 48 seats and 45.56 per cent, against 22 and 43.57 per cent for AAP; Congress won no seat for the third straight time despite contesting all 70 and polling 6.34 per cent. Turnout was 60.54 per cent, down 2.28 points on 2020, highest in North East Delhi (66.25 per cent) and lowest in South East Delhi (56.40 per cent). The gap between the top two parties was about two vote-share points but 26 seats. Reports cite Yamuna cleanliness, water, sanitation and air pollution among the main issues, alongside allegations on the excise policy and official-residence spending that AAP disputed (Wikipedia, reported). The new Chief Minister took the oath on 20 February 2025. The AAP leader who had been Chief Minister lost his own New Delhi seat; we do not name the 2025 winners.

Lok Sabha elections, 1999 to 2024

Year	Polling	Result in Delhi (7 seats)	Vote shares	Turnout
1999	5 Sep	BJP 7	BJP 51.75%, INC 41.96%	43.5%
2004	10 May	INC 6, BJP 1	INC 54.8%, BJP 40.7%	n/c
2009	7 May	INC 7	INC 57.11%, BJP 35.23%	51.86%
2014	10 Apr	BJP 7	BJP 46.41%, AAP 32.92%, INC 15.15%	65.10%
2019	12 May	BJP 7	BJP 56.56%, INC 22.51%, AAP 18.11%	60.60%
2024	25 May	BJP 7	BJP 54.35%, AAP 24.17%, INC 18.91%	58.78%

In 2024, AAP and Congress contested together as INDIA bloc partners, and their combined 43.08 per cent still won no seat; the BJP led in 52 of 70 Assembly segments and AAP in 10 (Wikipedia). In 2019 Congress finished second ahead of AAP, a reversal of 2014. Wikipedia describes the 2009 Congress sweep as only the third time since 1952 one party won every Delhi seat.

By-elections

Wikipedia's list of Delhi Assembly by-elections shows three since 2015, and may be incomplete:

• Rajouri Garden, 9 April 2017, won by the BJP from AAP.
• Bawana, 23 August 2017, retained by AAP.
• Rajinder Nagar, 23 June 2022, retained by AAP by 11,555 votes.

Municipal elections

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi was a single body with 272 wards in 2007. It was split into three corporations (North, South and East) before the April 2012 poll, then merged back in May 2022. The next table gives the most recent cycles; the Delhi State Election Commission conducts them.

Year	Date	Wards	Result	Turnout
2007	April	272	BJP largest; INC 67, BSP 12-17 (reported). The BJP total is given as both 164 and 167, so we leave it open	n/c
2012	15 Apr	272 (three corporations)	BJP 138, INC 77, BSP 15; BJP won North (59 of 104), South (44 of 104) and East (35 of 64)	n/c
2017	23 Apr	272	BJP 181, AAP 49, INC 31; vote shares BJP 36.08%, AAP 26.23%, INC 21.09%	53.58%
2022	4 Dec	250 (single MCD)	AAP 134, BJP 104, INC 9, Ind 3; AAP 42.05%, BJP 39.09%, INC 11.68%	50.48%

In 2022, AAP won 85 more wards than in 2017, and the BJP's 181 fell to 104. The majority mark was 126. On 30 November 2025, bypolls were held for 12 vacated wards: the BJP won seven, AAP three, Congress one and the All India Forward Bloc one, on a reported turnout of 38.51 per cent (reported by news outlets). The MCD's five-year term runs from its first meeting after the December 2022 poll, which implies the next general election in late 2027, but we did not find a notified date. As on 4 October 2026 we confirm no schedule.

Reservation and delimitation

• Assembly: 12 of 70 seats reserved for SC, none for ST. The seat map was last redrawn by the 2008 Delimitation Commission order, which first applied in the November 2008 election.
• Lok Sabha: 1 of 7 seats (North West Delhi) reserved for SC.
• Women: the Constitution (106th Amendment), the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam of 2023, provides one-third reservation in the Lok Sabha and in the Delhi Assembly, to take effect after the next delimitation; it is not in force for the 2025 poll. This is our summary of a well-known Act that we did not re-verify for this section.

Records and firsts

• Longest-serving Chief Minister: Sheila Dikshit, 3 December 1998 to 28 December 2013, a little over 15 years.
• Highest Assembly tally since 1993: AAP, 67 seats in 2015. Highest turnout: 67.47 per cent in 2015. Lowest: 48.99 per cent in 1998.
• Congress has won no seat in 2015, 2020 or 2025.
• Delhi had its only President's rule since 1993 from 14 February 2014 to 14 February 2015 (Wikipedia's list of Chief Ministers).
• In 2003, 7 women were elected, against 63 men (Wikipedia).
• Voter statistics (electors, EPIC, elector sex ratio) are not given here; we did not verify them against Election Commission data.

For exam preparation

• The first Delhi Assembly election was held in 1952; it was a Part C state with 48 members.
• The Assembly was abolished in 1956 and the first post-revival election was held on 6 November 1993; the BJP won 49 seats.
• Congress won 52, 47 and 43 seats in 1998, 2003 and 2008.
• The 2013 Assembly was hung (BJP 31, AAP 28, INC 8); AAP's minority government lasted 49 days.
• AAP won 67 seats in 2015 and 62 in 2020; the BJP won 48 in February 2025 with Congress at zero.
• The MCD was unified in May 2022 and the December 2022 election had 250 wards: AAP 134, BJP 104, INC 9.
• The BJP won all 7 Lok Sabha seats in 2014, 2019 and 2024; Congress won all 7 in 2009.

Past Chief Ministers, Governors and office-holders

This section lists only completed tenures. The current Lieutenant Governor, Chief Minister, Speaker, Chief Justice and other incumbents appear as "Incumbent" and are not named. Dates come from Wikipedia and the Delhi High Court's own list; some Lieutenant Governors' dates are given only to the month in the source.

Chief Ministers

No.	Chief Minister	Party	Tenure
1	Brahm Prakash	INC	17 Mar 1952 to 12 Feb 1955
2	Gurmukh Nihal Singh	INC	12 Feb 1955 to 1 Nov 1956
	Office abolished		1956 to 1993
3	Madan Lal Khurana	BJP	2 Dec 1993 to 26 Feb 1996
4	Sahib Singh Verma	BJP	26 Feb 1996 to 12 Oct 1998
5	Sushma Swaraj	BJP	12 Oct 1998 to 3 Dec 1998
6	Sheila Dikshit	INC	3 Dec 1998 to 28 Dec 2013
7	Arvind Kejriwal	AAP	28 Dec 2013 to 14 Feb 2014
	President's rule		14 Feb 2014 to 14 Feb 2015
7	Arvind Kejriwal	AAP	14 Feb 2015 to 21 Sep 2024
8	Atishi	AAP	21 Sep 2024 to 20 Feb 2025
	Incumbent	BJP	From 20 Feb 2025

Sheila Dikshit's tenure covered three consecutive Assembly terms.

Lieutenant Governors from 1966

The post began on 7 November 1966. Earlier, five Chief Commissioners headed Delhi (Shankar Prasada, A. D. Pandit, Bhagwan Sahay, V. Viswanathan and Aditya Nath Jha). Wikipedia numbers 21 persons; Jagmohan Malhotra and Tejendra Khanna served twice.

Lieutenant Governor	Tenure
Aditya Nath Jha	7 Nov 1966 to 19 Jan 1972
M. C. Pimputkar	19 Jan to 23 Apr 1972
Baleshwar Prasad	24 Apr 1972 to 3 Oct 1974
Krishan Chand	3 Oct 1974 to 30 Mar 1978
Dalip Rai Kohli	30 Mar 1978 to 17 Feb 1980
Jagmohan Malhotra	17 Feb 1980 to 30 Mar 1981; again 2 Sep 1982 to 25 Apr 1984
Sundar Lal Khurana	30 Mar 1981 to 2 Sep 1982
P. G. Gavai	25 Apr 1984 to Nov 1984
Mohan M. K. Wali	Nov 1984 to Nov 1985
H. L. Kapur	16 Nov 1985 to 3 Aug 1988
Romesh Bhandari	4 Aug 1988 to 11 Dec 1989
Arjan Singh	12 Dec 1989 to Dec 1990
Markandey Singh	Dec 1990 to 4 May 1992
Prasannabhai Karunashankar Dave	4 May 1992 to 4 Jan 1997
Tejendra Khanna	4 Jan 1997 to 20 Apr 1998; again 9 Apr 2007 to 9 Jul 2013
Vijai Kapoor	20 Apr 1998 to 9 Jun 2004
Banwari Lal Joshi	9 Jun 2004 to 9 Apr 2007
Najeeb Jung	9 Jul 2013 to 22 Dec 2016
Anil Baijal	31 Dec 2016 to 18 May 2022
Vinai Kumar Saxena	26 May 2022 to March 2026 (reported; the source's end date of 13 March overlaps the successor's start of 11 March)
Incumbent	From March 2026

Speakers of the Assembly (1993 onward)

Speaker	Assembly	Tenure
Charti Lal Goel	First	1993 to 1998
Chaudhary Prem Singh	Second and Third	14 Dec 1998 to 17 Jun 2003; 20 Jul 2004 to 15 Dec 2008
Ajay Maken	Third	2003 to 2004 (listed as Third Assembly Speaker; exact dates not confirmed)
Yoganand Shastri	Fourth	19 Dec 2008 to 31 Dec 2013
Maninder Singh Dhir	Fifth	3 Jan 2014 to Feb 2015
Ram Niwas Goel	Sixth and Seventh	14 Feb 2015 to 20 Feb 2025
Incumbent	Eighth	From 20 Feb 2025

We could not confirm Speakers of the 1952 Assembly or of the Metropolitan Council era, and we leave them out.

Chief Justices of the Delhi High Court from 1990

Chief Justice	Tenure
Milap Chand Jain	28 Nov 1990 to 21 Jul 1991
G. C. Mittal	5 Aug 1991 to 11 Apr 1994
M. Jagannadha Rao	12 Apr 1994 to 20 Mar 1997
Ajay Prakash Misra	26 Jun 1997 to 3 Dec 1997
Sam Nariman Variava	25 May 1999 to 14 Mar 2000
A. Pasayat	10 May 2000 to 18 Oct 2001
S. B. Sinha	26 Nov 2001 to 2 Oct 2002
B. C. Patel	5 Mar 2003 to 7 Aug 2005
Markandeya Katju	12 Oct 2005 to 9 Apr 2006
M. K. Sharma	4 Dec 2006 to 8 Apr 2008
Ajit Prakash Shah	11 May 2008 to 13 Feb 2010
Dipak Misra	24 May 2010 to 9 Oct 2011
D. Murugesan	26 Sep 2012 to 9 Jun 2013
N. V. Ramana	2 Sep 2013 to 16 Feb 2014
G. Rohini	21 Apr 2014 to 13 Apr 2017
Rajendra Menon	9 Aug 2018 to 6 Jun 2019
D. N. Patel	7 Jun 2019 to 12 Mar 2022
Satish Chandra Sharma	28 Jun 2022 to 8 Nov 2023
Manmohan	29 Sep 2024 to 4 Dec 2024
Incumbent	From 21 Jan 2025

The gaps in the table (for example 1997 to 1999 and 2017 to 2018) were filled by acting Chief Justices whom the court's list does not name; we did not confirm their names. The Delhi High Court's list is the source for dates above.

For exam preparation

• Delhi's first Chief Minister (1952) was Chaudhary Brahm Prakash; the second was Gurmukh Nihal Singh.
• The Chief Minister's office was abolished in 1956 and revived in 1993; the first Chief Minister of the revived Assembly was Madan Lal Khurana.
• Sushma Swaraj served as Chief Minister for only about two months in 1998.
• Sheila Dikshit served from 3 December 1998 to 28 December 2013, the longest tenure.
• The Lieutenant Governor's post dates from 7 November 1966; the first holder was Aditya Nath Jha.
• The first Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court was K. S. Hegde (1966).

Political history and movements

Delhi's politics is the story of a capital whose citizens have repeatedly asked for a government of their own, and of the Union government's wish to keep control of the seat of national power. The pattern runs from a short-lived Part C state to administration by Chief Commissioners, an advisory council, a revived Assembly and, since 2013, repeated legal contests over who controls what.

From Part C state to Union Territory

Delhi was a Part C state from 1952, with its own Assembly and Chief Minister. The States Reorganisation Act, 1956 abolished the Assembly and the Chief Minister's office. From 1956 Delhi was a Union Territory run by the President through an administrator; the Delhi Administration Act, 1966 created a Lieutenant Governor and a Metropolitan Council of 61 members, which advised but could not legislate. That arrangement lasted until 1990.

The demand for a legislature and statehood

The case for a proper legislature led to the committee reports of the late 1980s. Wikipedia and commentary link this work to the Sarkaria and then the Balakrishnan committees, whose recommendations shaped the 69th Amendment (1991); we did not open the reports and so give no dates for them. The Amendment gave Delhi an Assembly but kept police, public order and land with the Union. Demands for full statehood have been voiced by governments and parties across the spectrum, and a separate Wikipedia article on the statehood movement could not be opened for this guide; as of the verification date, no Union law has conferred full statehood.

The 1993 revival and the first governments

After the 1993 election, the BJP governed for five years under three leaders, then Congress held office for fifteen years under one Chief Minister. Of the Assemblies since 1993, only one (2013–14) ended early.

Lokpal movement and the 2013 verdict

In 2011, the India Against Corruption movement, with Anna Hazare as its public face, held public campaigns in Delhi for an independent anti-corruption ombudsman, which became the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 (in force 16 January 2014). In August 2012, a split opened between those who wanted to stay outside politics and those who wanted to contest elections. The latter formed the Aam Aadmi Party in November 2012. Its first election, in December 2013, gave it 28 seats and 29.49 per cent. Supporters saw an anti-corruption movement entering politics; critics questioned whether a protest group could govern, and the movement's own organisers disputed who had the right to use its name (Wikipedia). We state both views and take no side.

A hung Assembly and President's rule

Nobody had a majority in December 2013. The BJP, with the most seats, declined to form a government; AAP took office with Congress support from outside on 28 December 2013 and resigned 49 days later, on 14 February 2014, after failing to pass the Jan Lokpal Bill in the Assembly. President's rule lasted a year, the only one since the Assembly's revival, until the February 2015 election.

The LG-versus-government disputes

After 2015 the question of who controls officials, anti-corruption policing and appointments came to the courts. The Supreme Court's 4 July 2018 judgment and its 11 May 2023 judgment on services both favoured the elected government within its domain. The Union government answered with the 2021 Act and the 2023 ordinance and Act. A challenge to the 2023 Act was, to our understanding, referred to a larger bench, but we did not confirm its outcome or whether it was decided; we also did not confirm whether the repeal reported for December 2025 has any effect on the 2023 arrangements.

Municipal and electoral change

The three municipal corporations were merged again in May 2022, and the December 2022 election was the first for the unified MCD. In September 2024 the Chief Minister's office changed hands inside the Assembly's term; in February 2025 the BJP won the Assembly election, ending 27 years out of power.

For exam preparation

• Delhi was a Part C state from 1952 to 1956, then a Union Territory.
• The Delhi Administration Act, 1966 created the Metropolitan Council, which lasted until 1990.
• The 69th Amendment (1991) gave Delhi an Assembly; the first election was in 1993.
• AAP was formed in November 2012 and first fought the Assembly election in December 2013.
• The 2013 minority government lasted 49 days; President's rule ran from 14 February 2014 to 14 February 2015.
• The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 came into force on 16 January 2014.

Budget and governance

The latest budget is for 2026-27. It was presented in the Assembly on 24 March 2026 with a headline outlay of Rs 1,03,700 crore, which news reports describe as about 3.7 per cent above the previous year's Rs 1,00,000 crore. We name no minister. Figures below are as on 4 October 2026 and come from PRS India's analysis and news reports; the two use different definitions, and where they differ we say so.

Key numbers, 2026-27 budget estimates

Item	Figure	Source note
Total outlay (headline)	Rs 1,03,700 crore	News reports
Total expenditure, excluding debt repayment	Rs 99,446 crore	PRS
Revenue receipts	Rs 81,992 crore	PRS
Own tax revenue	Rs 74,000 crore	PRS and news reports
State GST	Rs 43,500 crore (59 per cent of own tax)	PRS
Central grants	Rs 7,092 crore	PRS
Revenue surplus	Rs 9,092 crore	PRS
Fiscal deficit	Rs 16,966 crore, about 1.3 per cent of GSDP	PRS
Net borrowing	Rs 15,326 crore	PRS
Capital outlay	Rs 17,624 crore (PRS); news reports give Rs 30,800 crore. We could not reconcile these
Education	Rs 19,066 crore (PRS); Rs 19,326 crore (news reports)
Health	Rs 13,034 crore	PRS and news
Transport	Rs 10,303 crore	PRS
Social welfare	Rs 10,200 crore	PRS

News reports also describe a "green budget" with Rs 22,236 crore for environmental measures and Rs 11,666 crore for the MCD; we did not verify how these categories are defined. PRS describes Delhi's GSDP as growing an estimated 8.5 per cent in 2025-26, with per capita GSDP of Rs 5,93,071.

What these numbers show

Delhi's own taxes fund about 91 per cent of receipts (PRS), so it depends little on central transfers. It is a revenue-surplus budget with a fiscal deficit of about 1.3 per cent of GSDP. We have not confirmed Delhi-specific FRBM terms or compared the share with other states. Central grants were about 7 per cent of receipts.

Governance and reforms

The most important governance issue is the division of powers described above: the elected government, the Lieutenant Governor, the MCD (also under an elected body) and the Union-controlled DDA and Delhi Police all share the territory. Reforms since 2021 have focused less on service delivery than on this contest. We did not verify any e-governance figures (such as the number of services delivered online) for this guide, so we state none.

For exam preparation

• The 2026-27 Delhi budget was presented on 24 March 2026 with a headline outlay of about Rs 1.04 lakh crore (reported).
• Own tax revenue of Rs 74,000 crore funds about 91 per cent of receipts (PRS).
• The budget shows a revenue surplus of Rs 9,092 crore and a fiscal deficit of about 1.3 per cent of GSDP (PRS).
• State GST is the largest tax source, at about 59 per cent of own tax revenue.
• Police, public order and land are outside the Delhi Assembly's lawmaking power.

Economy

The National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi is a city-state with almost no farming and very little mining, so its economy is a services economy. Banking, trade, real estate, IT, telecom, media, government and tourism produce more than four-fifths of the value added. Delhi is also one of the richest territories in India per head. As on October 2026, the Economic Survey of Delhi 2025-26 (tabled on 23 March 2026) puts per capita income at about two and a half times the national level. Its weak points are not output but what comes with density: air, water, waste and traffic, which are covered in the sections below.

Size, growth and income

Indicator	Value	Source / note
GSDP, current prices, 2023-24	about ₹11.07 lakh crore	Reference page on the economy of Delhi; nominal, rounded
GSDP growth, 2023-24 (constant prices)	7.4%	PRS analysis of the 2025-26 budget; the same page puts India's growth that year at 9.2%
Per capita GSDP, 2023-24	₹5,12,131 (current prices)	PRS analysis of the 2025-26 budget
GSDP, current prices, 2025-26 (likely)	₹13,27,055 crore, growth 9.42%	Economic Survey of Delhi 2025-26, as reported in the press
Per capita income, 2025-26 (estimate)	₹5,31,610, up 7.92%	Economic Survey of Delhi 2025-26, as reported
GSDP growth, 2025-26 (constant prices)	8.5%	PRS analysis of the 2026-27 budget; India's growth given as 7.4%
Gross state value added (GSVA), 2025-26	Services 86.32%, secondary 12.88%, primary 0.80%	Economic Survey, as reported

"Current prices" means the value in that year's rupees, so part of any rise is inflation. "Constant prices" removes inflation. "Per capita income" divides total income by population; it is an average and does not show how evenly income is shared. Per capita GSDP is a different measure. One PRS summary of the 2026-27 budget quotes a per capita GSDP for 2025-26 of ₹5,93,071, above the Survey's per capita income of ₹5,31,610; a reference page labels the same number per capita income and ranks Delhi third. We report these as they appear and do not reconcile them.

What drives the economy

• Services (about 86% of GSVA). Government and defence offices, banks and insurance, retail and wholesale trade, IT and business services, telecom, media, hotels, restaurants and real estate. Delhi's role as the national capital draws the head offices of public-sector bodies and ministry-linked services.
• Industry (about 13%). Mostly small and medium units: garments, printing, electrical and electronic goods, food processing, engineering and plastics, plus construction. Large factories are rare because of land costs and pollution rules. The next section lists the planned industrial areas.
• Primary sector (under 1%). Farming and allied activity are a tiny sliver of the territory's output.
• Trade. Old Delhi's wholesale lanes (Khari Baoli for spices and dry fruit, Chandni Chowk for textiles and jewellery) supply much of North India; we have no turnover figures.
• Tourism. A reference page reports tourism at about 5.6% of the economy and says Delhi receives a majority of India's foreign tourists. The figure is old and unverified, so treat it as indicative only.

Employment

A reference page gives unemployment of 6.3% for July 2020 to June 2021 and female work participation of about 15%. The period was affected by the pandemic and the figures are secondary; check the latest Periodic Labour Force Survey.

Public finances

Delhi's budget differs from a full state's: Delhi is a Union Territory with a Legislative Assembly (70 seats), and policing and land are with the Centre, which shapes what the budget can spend on. The figures below are PRS Legislative Research's summaries.

Item	2025-26 budget	2026-27 budget
Presented on	25 March 2025	24 March 2026
Expenditure (excluding debt repayment)	₹95,358 crore	₹99,446 crore
Revenue receipts	₹81,655 crore (excluding borrowings)	₹81,992 crore
Revenue surplus	₹9,661 crore	₹9,092 crore
Fiscal deficit	₹13,703 crore	₹16,966 crore (the page gives ₹22,289 crore for 2025-26 revised)
Own tax revenue	not captured	₹74,000 crore, up 13%

Press reports gave the overall size of the 2026-27 budget as about ₹1,03,700 crore; the PRS figure above leaves out debt repayment, so the two are not directly comparable. A "revenue surplus" means that revenue receipts exceed day-to-day (revenue) spending. A "fiscal deficit" is total spending minus receipts apart from borrowings. Delhi can show a revenue surplus and still borrow, because capital works are funded by loans.

Headline allocations in the 2026-27 budget, per PRS, include education ₹19,066 crore, health ₹13,034 crore, transport ₹10,303 crore, social welfare ₹10,200 crore and ₹300 crore for pollution control. The 2025-26 budget set aside ₹5,100 crore for a women's cash transfer scheme, ₹2,144 crore for Ayushman Bharat health insurance, ₹100 crore for CM Shri schools and about ₹500 crore for cleaning the Yamuna. Details of schemes are in the last section.

For exam preparation

• Delhi is the national capital; its economy is about 86% services (Economic Survey 2025-26, reported).
• Per capita income for 2025-26 is estimated at ₹5,31,610, about 2.5 times the national level (reported).
• The Assembly has 70 seats and Delhi has seven Lok Sabha constituencies.
• The Delhi budget 2025-26 was presented on 25 March 2025 and the 2026-27 budget on 24 March 2026 (PRS).
• Primary sector contributes under 1% of GSVA.

Agriculture, forests, minerals, industry and energy

Delhi has little land for crops, no worthwhile minerals and a small, shrinking factory sector inside city limits. The questions that matter for this section are about industrial estates, power supply, water, waste and air, because a city of this size runs on utilities rather than natural resources. The paragraphs below cover those systems.

Agriculture, forests and minerals

Primary activity contributes only about 0.8% of GSVA (Economic Survey 2025-26, reported). Vegetable, flower and fodder farming continue on the Yamuna floodplain and in outlying villages, but we have not opened a source for crop area, production or the number of farm households, so no figures are given. The same applies to forest cover: the Delhi Ridge, the northern end of the Aravalli range, and the Yamuna floodplain are the main green and ecological areas, but we did not confirm their area or the state's official forest cover figure, so we leave them out. There is no notable mining in the territory.

Planned industrial areas

Delhi's planning documents describe 29 planned industrial areas or estates and five flatted factory complexes (a search summary of Delhi Planning Department papers, so reported). The Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC) is the main agency that develops and redevelops industrial estates, together with the Delhi Development Authority (DDA). Estates named in these papers include Narela, Okhla, Bawana and Patparganj (where DSIIDC runs pilot projects on a public-private partnership model), as well as Kirti Nagar, Mangolpuri, Wazirpur and Lawrence Road. We did not open a source for the number of units or workers in each, so none are stated. A related issue is non-conforming industry in residential areas, which court orders and the Master Plan have tried to move into planned estates over several decades.

Electricity

Delhi imports most of the power it uses; the Badarpur coal plant, which had supplied the city, was permanently closed in October 2018 as a pollution measure (reported on a reference page on air pollution). Electricity in the territory is distributed by private companies in licensed areas: BSES Rajdhani Power Limited (BRPL), BSES Yamuna Power Limited (BYPL) and Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited (Tata Power-DDL). The New Delhi Municipal Council area is served separately; we did not open a source on that arrangement. These companies buy power under long-term contracts, bilateral deals and market purchases. The Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) sets tariffs; we did not open a DERC page and note its role from general knowledge.

Peak demand rises in summer because of air conditioning. According to press reports, Delhi's all-time peak was 8,748 MW on 29 June 2026, breaking the previous record of 8,656 MW on 19 June 2024. Of the 2026 peak, BRPL met 3,906 MW, BYPL 1,876 MW and Tata Power-DDL 2,497 MW. BSES said about 2,670 MW of its supply mix was renewable. These are reported figures and each new summer may set a new record.

Water supply and the Yamuna

The Delhi Jal Board (DJB), set up on 6 April 1998 to replace the earlier water and sewage undertaking, handles drinking water supply and sewage in the territory. Delhi draws raw water mainly from the Yamuna and from canals fed by neighbouring states, with groundwater as a supplement; we did not verify the shares or the daily volume in million gallons, so they are omitted. Because the headworks lie in Haryana, shortages in the Yamuna upstream often become a Delhi problem, and disputes with neighbouring states recur.

The Yamuna rises at the Yamunotri glacier in Uttarakhand and flows about 1,376 km to meet the Ganga at Prayagraj. The Delhi stretch is about 22 km, which is under 2% of the river's length, yet a reference page reports it accounts for nearly 80% of the river's pollution load. The same page reports that Delhi's drains put some 800 million litres a day of largely untreated sewage and about 44 million litres of industrial effluent into the river as of 2019, with about 35% of sewage treated. These are reported figures from a secondary source and the position has changed with new treatment plants. The Najafgarh drain, which empties into the Yamuna, is the largest of the drains and the main channel of concern. The Delhi government set aside about ₹500 crore for Yamuna cleaning in its 2025-26 budget (PRS summary).

Waste and landfills

Delhi's solid waste is managed by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). Three landfill sites, Ghazipur, Bhalswa and Okhla, hold large piles of old (legacy) waste that are being bio-mined, which means the waste is dug up, sorted and processed. As of August 2025, a press report gave the position as follows: at Ghazipur about 50 lakh tonnes had been mined and about 70 lakh tonnes remained; at Bhalswa, of about 80 lakh tonnes, nearly 40 lakh tonnes had been mined; at Okhla about 30 lakh tonnes remained. Ghazipur was reported to receive 2,400 to 2,600 tonnes of fresh waste daily, of which a waste-to-energy plant handles 700 to 1,000 tonnes. A later headline, dated 31 August 2026, reports that 216 lakh tonnes had been cleared from all three sites; we saw only the headline and not the full report, so we treat it as reported and not confirmed.

Air quality

Delhi's winter air is among the worst of any capital city. A reference page citing the World Air Quality Report 2024 calls Delhi the most polluted capital city in the world. Pollution builds from October to February, and a November 2024 reading reached an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 491, in the "severe plus" band. The main sources named on the same page are vehicles (about 41% of annual emissions), road dust (about 21.5%), industry (about 18%) and, in the crop-burning season, stubble fires in Punjab and Haryana (up to about 45% at the peak). Source shares vary by study and season.

The main measures are the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), which brings in stricter steps as air quality worsens, such as construction bans, vehicle limits and school closures; the odd-even vehicle rationing scheme, used on and off; a Supreme Court ban on firecrackers in 2017; the closure of the Badarpur plant in 2018; smog towers; and, from April 2025, restrictions on fuel for vehicles over 15 years old (reported). The conversion of the public bus fleet to compressed natural gas (CNG) is a well-known earlier step, and Delhi is described as having the world's largest CNG bus fleet.

For exam preparation

• Delhi has 29 planned industrial areas and five flatted factory complexes (reported); DSIIDC develops them.
• The three main electricity distributors are BRPL, BYPL and Tata Power-DDL.
• Delhi's reported all-time peak power demand is 8,748 MW (29 June 2026).
• The Delhi Jal Board was set up on 6 April 1998.
• The Yamuna is about 1,376 km long; its Delhi stretch is about 22 km.
• The three landfills are Ghazipur, Bhalswa and Okhla; the Badarpur coal plant closed in October 2018.

Transport and infrastructure

Delhi has the densest transport network in the country: a large metro, a bus system built around CNG and electric fleets, India's busiest railway hub, one of the busiest airports in Asia, and a ring of expressways and regional rail links to the neighbouring states of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.

Delhi Metro

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), a joint venture of the Government of India and the Delhi government, built and runs the system. The first section opened on 25 December 2002 between Shahdara and Tis Hazari, and the first underground stretch opened on 20 December 2004. The system also serves Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram, Faridabad, Bahadurgarh and Ballabhgarh.

The size of the network changes with each extension, and two reference pages disagree. One page, as on mid-2025, gives about 374.5 km, 271 stations (counting interchange stations once per line) and 9 or 10 lines; another gives 416 km, 303 stations and 12 lines. We could not open DMRC's own figures, so state the numbers with "about" and the date, and check DMRC's site for the latest. A daily record of about 64.6 lakh passengers (2025) has been reported.

The Airport Express line runs 22.7 km from New Delhi to Yashobhoomi Dwarka Sector 25 (reported). The Magenta and Pink lines run driverless, about 97 km together (reported).

Phase 4. Phase 4 construction began in December 2019. It is described as six priority corridors of about 112 km in total, with later phases 5A and 5B planned (reported). The corridors include the Golden Line (Tughlakabad to Aerocity, 23.6 km, 15 stations), Majlis Park to Maujpur, Lajpat Nagar to Saket G Block and Rithala to Narela to Kundli. Sections opened so far, per a reference page, include the Magenta Line extension to Krishna Park (5 January 2025) and the Pink Line extension from Majlis Park to Maujpur-Babarpur (8 March 2026). The Golden Line and the Kundli extension were still listed as under construction, with targets from 2026 to 2029.

Regional rail: Delhi-Meerut RRTS

The Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) is a faster regional rail meant to link NCR cities; its trains are branded Namo Bharat. The Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut corridor is 82.15 km with 16 stations. It opened in stages: Sahibabad to Duhai Depot on 20 October 2023, extended to Modinagar North on 6 March 2024, to Meerut South on 18 August 2024 and to New Ashok Nagar on 5 January 2025. A reference page reports that the full corridor, from Sarai Kale Khan to Modipuram, opened on 22 February 2026, with Jangpura station still under construction. Trains run at up to 160 km/h. Sarai Kale Khan links the Pink Line, Hazrat Nizamuddin station and the inter-state bus terminal.

Railways

Delhi is a hub of Northern Railway. The main stations are Old Delhi (Delhi Junction), New Delhi, Hazrat Nizamuddin and Anand Vihar Terminal, with Sarai Rohilla and others handling additional trains. Old Delhi station opened in 1864 and is described as India's oldest railway station still in use; its red-stone building, styled after the nearby Red Fort, was built around 1900 and opened in 1903, with 16 platforms. New Delhi station opened on 16 April 1956, has 16 platforms and is reported to handle about 5 lakh passengers a day. It has held a Guinness record, since 1999, for the largest route relay interlocking system in the world (reported). A redevelopment of about ₹2,469 crore, targeted for January 2029, was reported.

Roads and buses

Buses carry a large share of local trips; a reference page estimates about 60% of intra-city commuting. As of the date of that page, about 8,227 buses were in service: the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) ran 4,359, the DIMTS cluster scheme 3,126 and metro feeder services 742. DTC was set up on 1 May 1948 and runs from 37 depots; as of March 2025 its fleet was reported as about 3,109 CNG buses and 1,250 electric buses, with more electric buses planned. A press item reports a December 2025 approval to move cluster-bus operations into DTC by April 2026; we have not confirmed it took effect. We did not open sources on the Ring Road, Outer Ring Road or the expressways around the capital, so we state no lengths or dates for them.

Airports

Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) is run by Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), a consortium in which GMR holds 74% and the Airports Authority of India 26%. It has three passenger terminals: Terminal 1 (low-cost carriers), Terminal 2 (opened 1986, some domestic flights) and Terminal 3 (opened July 2010, the largest, for international and full-service domestic flights). It has four runways. Passenger traffic in 2024-25 was reported as 79.2 million on one page and 77.3 million on another, so the exact number is not settled; either way it is the busiest airport in India.

Noida International Airport at Jewar, in Gautam Buddha Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh, is not in Delhi, but it was planned to relieve pressure on IGI and is intended to complement it as part of a two-airport system for the region. A reference page reports that Phase I was inaugurated on 28 March 2026 and flights began on 15 June 2026. It is operated by Yamuna International Airport Private Limited, a subsidiary of Zurich Airport International AG, and has a single runway of 3,900 m by 45 m. This is a single-source report, so confirm with the latest news.

For exam preparation

• The first Delhi Metro section opened on 25 December 2002 (Shahdara to Tis Hazari); DMRC is a Centre-Delhi joint venture.
• Delhi-Meerut RRTS is 82.15 km with 16 stations; trains are branded Namo Bharat.
• Old Delhi station opened in 1864; New Delhi station on 16 April 1956.
• IGI has three terminals and four runways; operator DIAL (GMR 74%, AAI 26%).
• Noida International Airport is at Jewar (Uttar Pradesh), not in Delhi.
• DTC was established on 1 May 1948.

Culture, tribes and heritage

Delhi's culture is layered: the city was the capital of the Delhi Sultanate from the early thirteenth century and of the Mughal empire later, then the British capital, and after Partition in 1947 a destination for hundreds of thousands of refugees, many of them Hindu and Sikh families from Punjab and Sindh, while a smaller number of Muslim families left (a reference page puts the figures at around five lakh arriving and three lakh leaving). The result is a mix of courtly Persian-Urdu manners, Sufi devotion, Punjabi food and business culture, and the Hindi-speaking everyday life of the wider Delhi region.

Languages and literature

Hindi is the main language of daily life, with Punjabi, Urdu, Bengali and many other languages spoken by large communities. We did not open a source on Census 2011 mother-tongue figures, so no percentages are given. Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu are widely described as Delhi's official languages along with English, but we did not confirm the legal position from an opened source, so check the Delhi Official Language Act.

Urdu and Persian poetry were at their height in late Mughal Delhi. Poets such as Mirza Ghalib (1797 to 1869), who spent most of his adult life in Delhi, and Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last Mughal emperor, who also wrote poems under the pen name Zafar, are among the best known. Amir Khusro (1253 to 1325), the Sufi poet and musician linked with the saint Nizamuddin Auliya, is credited in tradition with shaping early Hindustani poetry and music. Dates and attributions for these figures come from general knowledge and have not been checked against an opened source. The Urdu gathering known as the mushaira, where poets recite in turn, remains a Delhi tradition.

Tribes

Delhi's population is overwhelmingly urban and migrant. We did not open a source on the Scheduled Tribe population or notified tribes of Delhi, and we make no claim about them; this guide therefore has no tribe table for Delhi. The communities that define Delhi's culture are instead its old city families, Punjabi and Sikh families who arrived in 1947, and migrants from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Rajasthan and the north-east, among others. Census 2011 data for the territory (about 16.8 million people) are in the Demography section.

Music, dance and Sufi heritage

• Qawwali and the Nizamuddin Dargah. The dargah of the Chishti Sufi saint Nizamuddin Auliya in south-east Delhi is called the nerve centre of Sufi culture in India. A white dome over the tomb is reported to have been built by Muhammad bin Tughluq in 1325. The poet-musician Amir Khusro, a disciple, and Jahanara Begum, a daughter of Shah Jahan, are buried in the complex. Qawwali, devotional singing with a lead singer, chorus and harmonium, is performed there, and Thursday evenings draw the biggest crowds (reported at about 1,500 people). The saint's death anniversary, the Urs, is observed each year.
• Kathak. Kathak, a classical dance of North India with fast footwork, spins and storytelling, took on much of its present form in the Mughal and later courts. Delhi is home to the Kathak Kendra, a national institute of the form under the Sangeet Natak Akademi. We have not checked these statements against an opened source.
• Theatre. The National School of Drama (NSD), set up in 1959, is the country's premier theatre training school; it became an autonomous body in 1975, and it holds the Bharat Rang Mahotsav, a theatre festival that began in 1999.
• Folk traditions. Punjabi bhangra and giddha are performed at weddings and festivals across the city (general knowledge only).

Festivals

Festival	When and where
Phool Walon Ki Sair	A flower festival at Mehrauli, offering floral fans at the dargah of the thirteenth-century Sufi saint Khwaja Bakhtiyar Kaki and at the Yogmaya temple; traced to 1812 under Akbar II, whose mother had vowed to offer flowers if her exiled son was released; revived in 1961-62; one source says it is held in September
Republic Day Parade	26 January on Kartavya Path (formerly Rajpath, renamed in 2022)
Independence Day	15 August; the Prime Minister hoists the flag at the Red Fort and addresses the nation, a tradition that began on 15 August 1947
Diwali, Holi, Dussehra, Eid, Guru Nanak Jayanti, Christmas	Celebrated across the city; Ramlila performances at Dussehra and Eid markets around the Jama Masjid are well known (general knowledge)
Bharat Rang Mahotsav	Annual theatre festival organised by NSD since 1999

Phool Walon Ki Sair is seen as a symbol of the city's shared Hindu-Muslim tradition. The British continued to patronise it until it was disrupted during the Quit India movement in 1942. We have not confirmed the dates of the Qutub Festival, the International Mango Festival or the Delhi Book Fair, so we leave them out.

Cuisine

Delhi's food comes from three sources: Mughal court kitchens, Punjabi food brought by refugees after 1947, and the street snacks of the old city. Old Delhi's lanes are known for kebabs, nihari (slow-cooked meat stew), biryani, parathas stuffed with potato, paneer or other fillings (the Paranthe Wali Gali in Chandni Chowk is traced to between 1875 and 1886), jalebi and chaat (spiced, tangy snacks such as aloo tikki and golgappe). Butter chicken and tandoori dishes belong to the Punjabi side of the city's food. Chole bhature, lassi and sweets are everyday favourites. We could not open a reference page on Delhi cuisine, so these descriptions rely on general knowledge, except the date of the Paranthe Wali Gali, which is reported on the Chandni Chowk page. We have not confirmed any Geographical Indication (GI) tags for Delhi products and do not list any.

Crafts, markets and architecture

Delhi's crafts come through its markets rather than from one local craft. Chandni Chowk, laid out in 1650 by Jahanara Begum, daughter of Shah Jahan, is a half-moon-shaped market named after a reflecting pool. Its trades include Dariba Kalan for silver and gold jewellery, Kinari Bazaar for trimmings and textile work, and Khari Baoli for spices, dry fruits, pickles and grain. Dilli Haat, run by the Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation (DTTDC), gives craftspeople from across India a rotating stall: the INA branch opened in March 1994, Pitampura in April 2008 and Janakpuri in August 2013. At INA, 62 stalls are reported to be allotted on rotation to registered craftspeople for ₹100 a day for up to 15 days.

The city's building styles run from the Sultanate period (Qutub Minar and its mosque, 1199 onwards) through Mughal (Humayun's Tomb, Red Fort, Jama Masjid) to British-era New Delhi (Rashtrapati Bhavan, India Gate), designed largely by Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker. Rashtrapati Bhavan was built from 1912 to 1929, and Lutyens developed a "Delhi Order" of columns with Greek and Indian elements and pendant bells. The Mughal-style garden there, long called the Mughal Gardens, was renamed Amrit Udyan in January 2023.

For exam preparation

• The Phool Walon Ki Sair is traced to 1812 in the reign of Akbar II and is held at Mehrauli.
• The Nizamuddin Dargah holds the tombs of Nizamuddin Auliya and Amir Khusro.
• The National School of Drama was set up in 1959; the Bharat Rang Mahotsav began in 1999.
• Chandni Chowk was laid out in 1650 by Jahanara Begum.
• Dilli Haat INA opened in March 1994.
• Rajpath was renamed Kartavya Path in 2022; Mughal Gardens became Amrit Udyan in January 2023.

Tourism and places of interest

Delhi has three UNESCO World Heritage Sites, all built by Muslim rulers: Humayun's Tomb, the Qutb Minar complex and the Red Fort complex. Alongside them are colonial-era landmarks, temples, gurdwaras and mosques, museums and markets. The table gives the main sites; the notes follow.

Site	Key facts	Type
Red Fort (Lal Qila)	Commissioned by Shah Jahan on 12 May 1638, completed 6 April 1648; designed by Ustad Ahmad Lahori; UNESCO 2007	World Heritage Site
Qutb Minar complex, Mehrauli	72.5 m, five storeys, 379 steps; begun 1199 by Qutb ud-Din Aibak, continued by Iltutmish; UNESCO 1993	World Heritage Site
Humayun's Tomb	Built 1565 to 1572; first garden-tomb on the subcontinent; UNESCO 1993	World Heritage Site
India Gate	42 m; Edwin Lutyens; foundation 10 February 1921; inaugurated 12 February 1931	War memorial
Jama Masjid	Shah Jahan; built 1650 to 1656; courtyard holds about 25,000 people	Mosque
Lotus Temple	Bahai House of Worship; architect Fariborz Sahba; opened 1 January 1987	Place of worship
Rashtrapati Bhavan	Lutyens and Baker; 1912 to 1929; 340 rooms	Official residence
Chandni Chowk	Laid out 1650 by Jahanara Begum	Market, Old Delhi
Dilli Haat (INA, Pitampura, Janakpuri)	Craft and food market run by DTTDC	Market
Nizamuddin Dargah	Chishti Sufi shrine; qawwali	Shrine

World Heritage Sites

The Red Fort was the palace of the Mughal emperors in Shahjahanabad. It is built of red sandstone, covers about 254.67 acres and includes the Diwan-i-Khas (hall of private audience), the Rang Mahal and the Moti Masjid. Much was damaged or removed after the uprising of 1857. On 15 August 1947, Jawaharlal Nehru raised the national flag at the Lahori Gate, and every Prime Minister has addressed the nation from there on Independence Day since.

The Qutb Minar is described as the tallest brick minaret in the world. It tapers from about 14.3 m at the base to 2.7 m at the top. Firuz Shah Tughlaq rebuilt the upper parts in 1369 after lightning damage. The complex also has the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque (1199), the Alai Darwaza and the Iron Pillar with a Sanskrit inscription. After a stampede in 1981 killed 45 people, access to the inside of the tower was restricted; it has been closed since 2000 (reported).

Humayun's Tomb was commissioned by Humayun's chief consort Bega Begum and designed by the Persian architects Mirak Mirza Ghiyas and his son Sayyid Muhammad. It stands in a four-part charbagh (Persian garden) of about 30 acres, and over a hundred graves are in the complex, including those of later Mughal rulers and the prince Dara Shikoh. The Aga Khan Trust for Culture completed a major restoration in 2003, which helped to revive the water channels and gardens.

Other landmarks

• India Gate honours 74,187 soldiers of the Indian Army who died in World War I and the Third Anglo-Afghan War. The Amar Jawan Jyoti flame beneath it, installed after the 1971 war, was merged in January 2022 with the flame at the nearby National War Memorial, completed in 2019. A 28-foot statue of Subhas Chandra Bose was inaugurated at the canopy on 8 September 2022.
• Jama Masjid, completed on 23 July 1656, is built mainly of red sandstone and white marble. Its two minarets are about 41 m high.
• Lotus Temple has 27 marble-clad concrete "petals" in three rings of nine and a hall seating about 1,300. It is open to all faiths. By 2014 it had reportedly received over 100 million visitors.
• Rashtrapati Bhavan was the Viceroy's House from 1931 to 1947 and was renamed when the first President took office on 26 January 1950. A museum on the estate opened in 2014, and Amrit Udyan opens to visitors in the flower season.
• Chandni Chowk has the Fatehpuri Masjid (1650), Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib, which marks the martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur, and the Digambar Jain Lal Mandir (1656), which runs a bird hospital set up in 1929.
• Others. Jantar Mantar (an eighteenth-century astronomical observatory), Lodi Gardens (fifteenth and sixteenth century tombs in a park), Gurdwara Bangla Sahib, Akshardham temple, the National Zoological Park and the National Museum are also among the major visitor sites. We did not verify opening hours, fees or dates of these, and have not opened sources for Purana Qila, Safdarjung's Tomb, Hauz Khas, Agrasen ki Baoli or Rajghat, so they are not described.

We did not verify visitor numbers for any site and make no claim about Ramsar sites or national parks in Delhi.

For exam preparation

• Delhi has three UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Humayun's Tomb (1993), Qutb Minar complex (1993) and Red Fort complex (2007).
• Qutb Minar is 72.5 m high and is called the tallest brick minaret in the world.
• Humayun's Tomb is the first garden-tomb on the Indian subcontinent.
• India Gate was designed by Lutyens and inaugurated on 12 February 1931.
• The Lotus Temple, a Bahai House of Worship, has 27 petals.
• Jama Masjid was completed in 1656 under Shah Jahan.

Education, health, sports and personalities

Delhi is a national centre for higher education and medical care, with central universities, an IIT, AIIMS and the national theatre school all in the territory. It also has a large school system with its own state-level curriculum experiments.

Schools and literacy

Delhi's literacy rate in Census 2011 was 86.3% (males 91.0%, females 80.9%). Schools are affiliated with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) or the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS). The Right to Education Act requires free schooling for children aged 6 to 14. A Happiness Curriculum began in government schools in 2018, and a Patriotism Curriculum in 2021 (reported). The 2026-27 budget allocated ₹19,066 crore to education (PRS).

Universities and institutes

Institution	Key facts
University of Delhi (DU)	Established 1 May 1922 by an Act of the Central Legislative Assembly; first Vice-Chancellor Hari Singh Gour; about 90 colleges and over 1.3 lakh regular students (reported); the Vice President of India is Chancellor; colleges include St Stephen's (1881), Hindu College (1899) and Ramjas (1917)
Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU)	Created by an Act of Parliament in 1969; campus of about 1,019 acres in south Delhi; strong in social sciences; alumni include Nobel economics laureate Abhijit Banerjee
Jamia Millia Islamia	Founded 29 October 1920 at Aligarh by nationalist leaders including Mohammad Ali Jauhar and Hakim Ajmal Khan; moved to Okhla in 1935; central university in 1988; Zakir Husain was a key figure in its early years (general knowledge)
IIT Delhi	Set up in 1961 as the College of Engineering and Technology; IIT status under the 1963 amendment Act; main campus of about 325 acres at Hauz Khas; overseas campus at Abu Dhabi from 2023
AIIMS Delhi	Established 1956 under the AIIMS Act; Rajkumari Amrit Kaur piloted the bill; first director B. B. Dikshit; campus of about 213 acres at Ansari Nagar
National School of Drama	Set up in 1959; autonomous from 1975; Bharat Rang Mahotsav from 1999
Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU)	A central open university in Delhi; we did not open a page to confirm its details

DU runs on a collegiate model with campuses grouped as north, south, central, east and west. AIIMS performed India's first successful heart transplant in 1994 and set up the first in-vitro fertilisation facility in the public sector in 2008 (reported). It reported about 4.8 million outpatient visits in 2024-25 (reported). Other institutions (Delhi Technological University, NSUT, IIIT Delhi, Ambedkar University, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University) are named without details because we did not verify them.

Health

Major public hospitals include AIIMS, Safdarjung and Ram Manohar Lohia; we did not confirm their bed counts. We did not verify NFHS-5 health indicators for Delhi, so none are quoted. The 2026-27 budget set aside ₹13,034 crore for health (PRS). The Anmol scheme for free newborn screening and the implementation of Ayushman Bharat are covered in the schemes section.

Sports

Delhi hosted the Asian Games in 1951 and 1982, and the 2010 Commonwealth Games, which made it only the second Asian city after Kuala Lumpur to host them (reported).

• Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium was built for the 1982 Asian Games. A reference page gives its present capacity as 60,254, down from about 78,000 originally. It was renovated for the 2010 Commonwealth Games at a reported cost of about ₹961 crore and hosted track and field events and the ceremonies. It also hosted 8 matches of the 2017 FIFA Under-17 World Cup and, from 27 September to 5 October 2025, the World Para Athletics Championships, the first held in India (reported).
• Arun Jaitley Stadium, formerly Feroz Shah Kotla, was renamed on 12 September 2019. It hosted the first Test of India against the West Indies in November 1948. Anil Kumble took all 10 wickets in an innings against Pakistan there in 1999. A reference page gives the ground's date as 1883 and its capacity as about 41,000; treat the date as reported.
• Other venues include the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium (hockey), the Indira Gandhi Arena and the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range.
• The Delhi Capitals play in the Indian Premier League. Delhi also has teams in the Hockey India League and the Indian Super League, per the same page.

Notable people

We name only people from history; we have not compiled living sportspeople or office-holders, in line with our policy.

Person	Known for
Amir Khusro (1253 to 1325)	Sufi poet and musician, disciple of Nizamuddin Auliya
Shah Jahan	Mughal emperor; built the Red Fort and Jama Masjid
Jahanara Begum	Shah Jahan's daughter; laid out Chandni Chowk in 1650
Bahadur Shah Zafar	Last Mughal emperor and Urdu poet (general knowledge)
Mirza Ghalib	Urdu and Persian poet associated with Delhi (general knowledge)
Hakim Ajmal Khan	Physician and nationalist; a founder of Jamia Millia Islamia
Rajkumari Amrit Kaur	Health Minister who piloted the AIIMS Act
Hari Singh Gour	First Vice-Chancellor of the University of Delhi
Edwin Lutyens	British architect of much of New Delhi, with Herbert Baker

For exam preparation

• Delhi's literacy rate was 86.3% in Census 2011 (males 91.0%, females 80.9%).
• The University of Delhi was set up on 1 May 1922; JNU in 1969; Jamia was made a central university in 1988.
• AIIMS Delhi was established in 1956 under the AIIMS Act.
• IIT Delhi began in 1961 and got IIT status in 1963.
• The Asian Games were held in Delhi in 1951 and 1982; the Commonwealth Games in 2010.
• Feroz Shah Kotla was renamed Arun Jaitley Stadium on 12 September 2019.

Government schemes

Delhi's schemes are set by the Delhi government and sit alongside central schemes run in the territory. Since the change of government in 2025, several earlier schemes have been reviewed and new ones announced. Statements below on those changes are reported and not confirmed from official orders. Eligibility and amounts change, so check the Delhi government's notices before relying on any figure.

Scheme	What it is	Eligibility and status
Mahila Samriddhi Yojana	Monthly cash transfer to women, reported at ₹2,500 a month	Reported criteria: woman who is an Indian citizen and a permanent resident of Delhi, aged 18 to 60, with annual family income under ₹3 lakh, and a bank account. The 2025-26 budget set aside ₹5,100 crore; accounts differ on when payments began, so confirm on the official portal
Ayushman Bharat in Delhi	Central health insurance for hospital care; the budget set aside ₹2,144 crore in 2025-26	The scheme's implementation in Delhi was reported as approved in 2025; confirm enrolment rules
CM Shri schools	Model government schools	₹100 crore allocated in 2025-26 (PRS)
Anmol scheme	Free newborn health screening covering 56 types of tests	Announced in the 2026-27 budget (PRS)
DURGA scheme	Green e-auto permits for 1,100 women and 100 transgender persons	Announced in the 2026-27 budget (PRS)
Yamuna cleaning	Sewage treatment and drain work	About ₹500 crore in 2025-26 (PRS)
Pollution control	Mechanical sweepers and anti-smog technology	₹300 crore in the 2026-27 budget (PRS)

Earlier Delhi governments ran subsidies on electricity and water, mohalla clinics and the Happiness Curriculum. We did not open a source on the present status of the subsidies or the clinics, so we do not describe them as current.

For exam preparation

• The Mahila Samriddhi Yojana was reported at ₹2,500 a month, with ₹5,100 crore in the 2025-26 budget.
• The 2025-26 budget set aside ₹2,144 crore for Ayushman Bharat.
• The Happiness Curriculum began in 2018 in Delhi government schools.
• The Anmol scheme offers free newborn screening for 56 tests (2026-27 budget).

Government exams in Delhi

Delhi is unusual because most of its government jobs are not filled by a state public service commission. There is no Delhi PSC. Group B (non-gazetted) and Group C posts of the Delhi government and its local bodies are filled by the Delhi Subordinate Services Selection Board (DSSSB). Police constables and sub-inspectors come through the Staff Selection Commission (SSC). Judges of the district courts and the court staff come through the Delhi High Court. Metro jobs come from the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), which hires on its own. Officer-level posts in the Delhi government are largely central-service cadres filled through the UPSC. Notification dates, vacancy counts, fees and age limits change with every advertisement, so treat every figure below as a pointer and read the latest notice before applying. Where a figure comes from an exam-prep or news site rather than an official document, we write "reported".

For live openings, see Delhi government jobs. For practice, our Delhi Police Constable mock tests and the wider online test series cover the exam patterns described here.

Delhi Subordinate Services Selection Board (DSSSB)

The Government of NCT of Delhi set up the DSSSB by a Resolution dated 4 October 1996, and the Board began functioning in July 1997 (DSSSB annual report 2024-25). Before that, Grade II and IV posts of the DASS cadre (assistants, inspectors, lower division clerks) and stenographers were recruited by the SSC. The Board's mandate text says it takes over selection to Grade B (non-gazetted) and Grade C posts, technical and non-technical, of Delhi government departments, local bodies, autonomous bodies and undertakings. The mandate text also mentions Delhi Police, but the constable and sub-inspector cycles we found were run by the SSC (see below). The Board is an attached office of the Services Department. It has a Chairman, two Members, a Controller of Examination and a Secretary, per the same report, after a restructuring Resolution of 12 May 2008. We do not name any incumbent; see current affairs.

Applications go through the Board's online application system. Its homepage (4 October 2026) describes computer-based examinations, with skill or endurance tests for some posts, and states no age limit or residence requirement; those sit in each advertisement.

What DSSSB recruits

The Board's 2013 scheme lists posts such as Lower Division Clerk, Stenographer, Warder, Patwari, Driver, Store Keeper, Librarian, Assistant Sanitary Inspector, Trained Graduate Teacher, Primary and Nursery Teacher, Nurse, Laboratory Technician, Junior Engineer, Food Inspector, Post Graduate Teacher, Assistant and Head Clerk.

Recent advertisements show the same mix. Reported by prep sites, Advertisement No. 03/2026 offered 1,979 vacancies across 25 post codes in six departments, including Trained Graduate Teacher (Computer Science) and several New Delhi Municipal Council technical roles. A Junior Engineer cycle was reported with 281 posts and applications from 24 February to 25 March 2026. A 2024 cycle was reported with 1,499 vacancies (Post Graduate Teacher, Assistant Sanitary Inspector, Stenographer Grade D and others), with applications from 19 March to 17 April 2024. We could not match these figures to the official advertisements, so check the Board's site.

The examination scheme

The Board's new scheme applies from 1 January 2013 (notice of 14 February 2013):

Type of post	Tiers	Pattern (2013 scheme)
General posts (LDC, Steno, Warder, Patwari, Driver)	One tier	200 MCQs, 200 marks, 2 hours: General Awareness, Reasoning, Arithmetic, Hindi and English at 40 marks each.
Technical and teaching posts, Pay Band 1 and 2 (TGT, Primary Teacher, Nurse, Lab Technician)	One tier	200 MCQs, 2 hours: 100 marks of the five general sections (20 each) plus 100 marks on the subject of the post.
General Pay Band 2 posts (Assistant, Head Clerk, Grade II DASS)	Two tiers	Tier I as for one-tier general posts, used only for shortlisting. Tier II: 200 MCQs plus a 75-mark descriptive part (essay 50, letter or expansion of ideas 25), 3 hours; general awareness here has special emphasis on Delhi's history, culture, demography, geography, economy and administration.
Technical Pay Band 2 posts (Junior Engineer, Food Inspector)	Two tiers	Tier I: 100 marks general plus 100 subject. Tier II: 150 marks subject plus 50 marks English, 2 hours.
Post Graduate Teacher, Junior Law Officer	Two tiers	Tier II: 200 marks subject MCQs plus a 50-mark descriptive part, 3 hours.

The rest of the scheme: 0.25 marks is deducted for each wrong MCQ; the Board may set a minimum cut-off; candidates numbering six to ten times the vacancies are called for Tier II; and in two-tier exams Tier I only shortlists, with selection on Tier II. Skill or endurance tests are held as the job needs. By notices of 2 June 2017 and 19 July 2017, the Board dropped interviews for all posts, so the three-tier posts in the 2013 scheme were converted to two tiers with merit on Tier II.

The scheme is a 2013 document and advertisements can differ. Prep sites report a 300-mark PGT paper and differing Junior Engineer Tier II splits; match everything to the notice.

Eligibility pointers

Qualification and age depend on the post. Prep sites report an upper age of 27 for most posts, 30 for TGT and similar, and 30 or 36 for PGT, with sources disagreeing. Teachers are reported to need the CTET (Central Teacher Eligibility Test) and a B.Ed. We give no single figure; relaxation is in the next section.

Delhi Police: the SSC route

The SSC, a central recruiter, runs the constable, head constable and sub-inspector exams for Delhi Police; notices appear at ssc.gov.in.

Constable (Executive), male and female

Delhi Police Constable (Executive) is the largest direct entry. Reported by Careers360, the 2025 cycle advertised 7,565 constable vacancies (4,408 male and 2,496 female executive posts); applications closed on 21 October 2025, later reported as extended to 31 October. Prep sites report the test ran from 18 December 2025 to 6 January 2026, the result came on 19 June 2026 and 66,076 candidates were shortlisted for the physical test. We have not opened the SSC notice.

Stage	What it is (reported)
Computer-Based Examination	100 questions, 100 marks, 90 minutes, English and Hindi; 0.25 marks deducted per wrong answer. General Knowledge and Current Affairs 50, Reasoning 25, Numerical Ability 15, Computer Fundamentals 10.
Physical Endurance and Measurement Test (PE&MT)	Qualifying only. Height, chest (men) and race, long jump, high jump. For men up to 30 years the race is 1,600 m in 6 minutes, long jump 14 feet, high jump 3 feet 9 inches; for women 8 minutes, 10 feet and 3 feet.
Medical examination and document verification	Final health and certificate check.

Final merit is reported to rest on the computer-based test alone, with the physical test only qualifying. Reported standards: men of General, OBC and SC categories 170 cm and chest 81 to 85 cm; ST men 165 cm and 76 to 80 cm; women of General, OBC and SC 157 cm and ST women 155 cm. Reported age: 18 to 25 years on 1 July 2025, with relaxations. Reported qualification: Class 12 pass, and male candidates need a valid light motor vehicle driving licence by the date of the physical test.

Head Constable and Sub-Inspector

The SSC also runs Delhi Police Head Constable (Assistant Wireless Operator or Tele-Printer Operator, and Ministerial). A prep site reports Class 12, age 18 to 25 years, typing of 30 words per minute in English or 25 in Hindi, and 165 cm for men; criteria differ between posts, so read the notice.

Delhi Police Sub-Inspector (Executive) is recruited together with Central Armed Police Force sub-inspectors in the SSC's CPO examination. Reported structure: Paper I (200 marks, 2 hours: reasoning, general awareness, quantitative aptitude and English, 50 each, 0.25 negative), physical standards and endurance tests, Paper II (200 marks, English), and detailed medical examination. Reported eligibility: graduation, age 20 to 25 years, and a driving licence for men joining Delhi Police. The 2025 notification was reported as deferred and then as released on 26 September 2025 with 3,073 vacancies; sources disagree, so verify.

Delhi High Court recruitment

The Delhi High Court was established on 31 October 1966 under the Delhi High Court Act, 1966 (enacted 5 September 1966). It recruits for the district judiciary of Delhi and for its own staff. When we opened its website on 4 October 2026, the homepage listed:

• Delhi Higher Judicial Service Examination-2026, with an advertisement and instructions.
• Junior Judicial Assistant/Restorer (Open) Examination-2026.
• Senior Personal Assistant and Personal Assistant (Open) Examinations-2026.
• Chauffeur and Despatch Rider-cum-Process Server (Open) Examinations-2025.

Delhi Judicial Service (DJS) and Delhi Higher Judicial Service (DHJS)

The Delhi Judicial Service exam selects civil judges. Reported by Drishti Judiciary, it has a preliminary test (200 questions, 0.25 negative marking), a mains of four papers carrying 850 marks, and a 150-mark interview. Reported eligibility: an advocate or a person qualified to be one under the Advocates Act, 1961, aged up to 32 years, with 5 years' relaxation for SC and ST. The DHJS recruits district judges directly from the Bar; reported conditions are seven years of practice and a minimum age of 35. The Court's own advertisement is the only reliable source.

Court staff

Court-staff exams are advertised by the High Court itself. We could not open any advertisement in full, so read patterns from the notice.

DTC, DMRC and other Delhi bodies

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation was set up as a joint venture of the Government of India and the Government of Delhi on 3 May 1995 and opened its first section on 24 December 2002. It is a separate employer with its own recruitment, not the DSSSB. Prep sites report that DMRC fills executive posts through a computer-based test, interview and medical, and non-executive posts (Customer Relations Assistant, Junior Engineer, Station Controller or Train Operator) through computer-based papers and a medical test, usually at ages 18 to 28. Read the notice at delhimetrorail.com.

The Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) has recruited Drivers through the DSSSB, according to DSSSB notices. Its own site (4 October 2026) listed contract and deputation posts only and did not describe driver or conductor recruitment. Local bodies such as the New Delhi Municipal Council advertise through the DSSSB, as the 2026 advertisement above shows.

Central recruiters for Delhi

Many jobs located in Delhi are central jobs. The UPSC picks All India and Central services; central offices take graduates and Class 12 pass candidates through the SSC (CGL, CHSL, MTS, stenographer, CPO); and the Railway Recruitment Boards fill railway posts. Our online test series covers these patterns.

For exam preparation:

• DSSSB is the main recruiter for Delhi government Group B and C posts; there is no Delhi PSC.
• DSSSB was set up by a Resolution of 4 October 1996 and began work in July 1997.
• The 2013 scheme has one tier for clerical posts, two for assistants and engineers, with 0.25 negative marking.
• DSSSB dropped interviews for all posts in 2017.
• Delhi Police constables and sub-inspectors are recruited by the SSC.

Domicile, reservation and recruitment rules

We found no general domicile requirement for Delhi government jobs: the DSSSB pages we opened state no residence condition, and prep-site eligibility summaries stress Indian citizenship. Residence matters mainly for the OBC (Other Backward Classes) category, because Delhi keeps its own OBC list. Each advertisement carries the binding rules.

OBC and the Delhi list

OBC status for Delhi government jobs depends on the list of the Government of NCT of Delhi, which is not identical to the central list used for central government jobs. The DSSSB FAQ states that a person holding an OBC (Delhi) certificate issued by the Delhi Revenue Department is entitled to reservation, and that an OBC candidate from outside Delhi must apply as unreserved and hold a non-creamy-layer certificate by the cut-off date. A rule summarised in search results for DSSSB notices (not opened in full) accepts a certificate issued outside Delhi only if it was issued on the basis of a Delhi certificate of a family member who lived in Delhi before 8 September 1993. A candidate whose caste is in the central list but whose certificate comes from another state is therefore not automatically reserved in Delhi. In notices we opened on the Board's site, candidates were declared ineligible for OBC (Delhi) status because the certificate was from Haryana or the caste was not in the Delhi list.

SC, ST and EWS

For SC and ST, the same search-result summary reports that SC and ST candidates of other states and union territories are eligible for the benefit of reservation, so Delhi residence is not required. Always check the advertisement for the exact wording and any certificate format.

Reservation percentages

The Government of India pattern is 15% for Scheduled Castes, 7.5% for Scheduled Tribes, 27% for OBC and 10% for the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) in direct recruitment, and the Delhi Services Department says central instructions apply in Delhi, with its own circulars for SC, ST, OBC, persons with disabilities, ex-servicemen and EWS. These are reported; we have not read the Delhi circular. Percentages are applied post by post, so the number of vacancies per category differs for each advertisement, and you must read the category-wise vacancy table in the notice.

Age relaxation

Reported across prep sites for DSSSB posts: SC and ST 5 years, OBC 3 years, persons with benchmark disabilities 10 years (with extra years for those in reserved categories), ex-servicemen their length of service plus 3 years up to a ceiling of 55 years, and Delhi government employees with at least three years' continuous service up to 5 years for posts in the same line. Those figures can vary by post and year; the notice has the authority.

Selection stages and fees

Delhi government posts are usually computer-based tests, with a skill test (typing, driving) or endurance test where the job needs one. Reported fees for recent DSSSB and SSC cycles: Rs 100 for general male candidates, with women, SC, ST, persons with disabilities and ex-servicemen exempt. Document verification follows, so keep category certificates ready.

For exam preparation:

• Delhi has no general domicile rule for government jobs; OBC claims need an OBC (Delhi) certificate.
• SC and ST candidates of other states are eligible for reservation in Delhi.
• Reservation follows the 15, 7.5, 27 and 10 pattern, reported.
• Age relaxation: 5 years SC and ST, 3 years OBC, 10 years persons with disabilities, reported.
• DSSSB selection is by written tests and not by interview, since 2017.

How to use this guide for exam preparation

Delhi's own recruiting exams hold few state-specific facts, apart from one topic: the second-tier DSSSB paper for assistants and clerks includes general awareness with special emphasis on Delhi's history, culture, demography, geography, economy and administrative set-up. That means the Delhi material in this guide matters mainly for those posts, and for general awareness sections of other exams. Read the history, geography, administration and government sections of the full guide first, and use the exam material above to choose your exam.

What to read

• History, geography, districts, demography and monuments: the main general-awareness block for DSSSB assistant-level exams.
• How Delhi is governed, the Assembly, the Lieutenant Governor and the High Court. For incumbents, use current affairs.
• The economy, budget, transport (metro, DTC) and schemes sections.

For Delhi Police the paper is mainly general knowledge, reasoning, numerical ability and computer basics, so current affairs and static GK matter more than state facts.

A four-week plan on this page

1. Week 1: Pick one or two target posts. Read the latest notice for age, qualification and pattern, then read the history, geography and administration sections.
2. Week 2: Read governance, legislature, the High Court and the economy. Make a one-page list of Delhi numbers (area, population, districts, assembly seats) and keep it with an as-on date.
3. Week 3: Do full-length mocks in the target exam's pattern, including the 0.25 negative marking. For the Delhi Police Constable paper use our Delhi Police Constable mocks.
4. Week 4: Revise the rapid-fire table below, take two more mocks, and review errors by topic.

Common traps

• Looking for a Delhi PSC. There is none; look at the DSSSB, the SSC and the High Court.
• Assuming Delhi Police recruitment goes through the DSSSB. Constable and sub-inspector exams are run by the SSC.
• Treating a number from a prep site as official. Age limits, fees and vacancy counts change per notice.
• Using an OBC certificate from another state for a Delhi government job.
• Forgetting the 0.25 negative marking on DSSSB and SSC papers.
• Leaving typing or physical-test preparation until after the written exam.

For revision across states, compare Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Punjab.

Rapid-fire facts

Facts are as on 4 October 2026 and come from the sources listed at the end. Items marked "reported" come from exam-prep or news sites, not an official document.

Fact	Answer
Body that recruits Group B (non-gazetted) and C posts of the Delhi government	Delhi Subordinate Services Selection Board (DSSSB)
DSSSB set up by	Resolution of the GNCT of Delhi, 4 October 1996
DSSSB began functioning	July 1997
DSSSB headed by	A Chairman, with two Members
Before DSSSB, DASS Grade II and IV posts were recruited by	Staff Selection Commission
DSSSB new examination scheme in force from	1 January 2013
Negative marking on DSSSB MCQs	0.25 per wrong answer
Candidates called for Tier II	Six to ten times the vacancies, subject to numbers
One-tier general papers (LDC, Steno, Warder, Patwari, Driver)	200 marks, 2 hours
Marks per section in the general one-tier paper	40 each
Posts with two tiers in 2013 scheme	Assistant, Head Clerk, Junior Engineer, Food Inspector, Post Graduate Teacher
Descriptive part in the Assistant Tier II	75 marks (essay 50, letter or expansion 25)
Tier I in two-tier exams is used for	Shortlisting only
Special emphasis in the Assistant Tier II general awareness	History, culture, demography, geography, economy and governance of Delhi
DSSSB dropped interviews for all posts	Notices of 2 June 2017 and 19 July 2017
DSSSB application fee in recent notices (reported)	Rs 100 for general men; women, SC, ST, persons with disabilities and ex-servicemen exempt
Delhi State Public Service Commission	None
DSSSB restructured	Resolution of 12 May 2008
DSSSB is attached to	Services Department, GNCT of Delhi
Subject marks in teaching and technical one-tier papers	100
Final selection in converted three-tier posts	Merit in Tier II
Duration of Tier II with a descriptive part	3 hours
Constable CBE Reasoning (reported)	25 questions
Constable CBE Numerical Ability (reported)	15 questions
Constable CBE Computer Fundamentals (reported)	10 questions
Constable age on 1 July 2025 (reported)	18 to 25 years
Constable qualification (reported)	Class 12 pass
Male height, ST (reported)	165 cm
Female height, General/OBC/SC (reported)	157 cm
Male long jump and high jump (reported)	14 feet; 3 feet 9 inches
Female race standard (reported)	8 minutes
Delhi Police SI age (reported)	20 to 25 years
Delhi High Court Act enacted	5 September 1966
Judges at the High Court's start	Four, including the Chief Justice
DJS stages (reported)	Prelims, Mains, Interview
DJS upper age (reported)	32 years
DMRC executive selection (reported)	Computer-based test, interview, medical
DTC recruitment notices on 4 October 2026	Contract and deputation posts
OBC age relaxation (reported)	3 years
SC and ST age relaxation (reported)	5 years
Persons with disabilities age relaxation (reported)	10 years
Ex-servicemen age relaxation (reported)	Service plus 3 years, ceiling 55
DSSSB nationality condition (reported)	Indian citizen
Delhi Police constable fee (reported)	Rs 100; women, SC, ST and ex-servicemen exempt
Delhi Police SI exam combined with	Central armed police forces SI posts (reported)
Constable physical test counts for merit (reported)	No, qualifying only
Delhi Police HC (Ministerial) typing speed (reported)	30 wpm English or 25 wpm Hindi
Delhi Police constable, head constable and SI recruited by	SSC (reported)
Delhi Police constable 2025 vacancies (reported)	7,565
Constable CBE questions and marks (reported)	100 questions, 100 marks
Constable CBE duration (reported)	90 minutes
Constable CBE negative marking (reported)	0.25 per wrong answer
Constable CBE GK and Current Affairs (reported)	50 questions
Driving licence needed by male constables (reported)	Light motor vehicle
Constable physical test	Qualifying only (reported)
Male race standard (reported)	1,600 m in 6 minutes
Male height, General/OBC/SC (reported)	170 cm
Candidates shortlisted for 2025 constable physical test (reported)	66,076
Delhi Police SI Paper I (reported)	200 marks, 2 hours, 4 sections of 50
Delhi High Court established	31 October 1966
First Chief Justice of Delhi High Court	K.S. Hegde
High Court's other territory until 25 January 1971	Himachal Pradesh
High Court sanctioned strength, as on 4 October 2026	60 (45 permanent and 15 additional)
Who runs Delhi Judicial Service exam	Delhi High Court
DJS prelims size (reported)	200 questions, 0.25 negative
DJS mains total (reported)	850 marks
DJS interview marks (reported)	150
DHJS Bar practice required (reported)	7 years
DHJS minimum age (reported)	35 years
DMRC set up	3 May 1995
DMRC ownership	Joint venture of Government of India and Government of Delhi
First Delhi Metro section opened	24 December 2002 (Shahdara to Tis Hazari)
DMRC hires through	Its own notices, not DSSSB
Delhi domicile requirement for DSSSB	None stated on DSSSB homepage or FAQ
OBC for Delhi jobs needs	OBC (Delhi) certificate
OBC candidate from outside Delhi in DSSSB	Applies as unreserved with non-creamy-layer certificate
Cut-off date before which OBC family residence counts	8 September 1993
SC and ST of other states in DSSSB posts	Eligible for reservation
SC reservation, central pattern (reported)	15%
ST reservation, central pattern (reported)	7.5%
OBC reservation, central pattern (reported)	27%
EWS reservation, central pattern (reported)	10%

Frequently asked questions

Is there a Delhi Public Service Commission?

No. Most Delhi government Group B (non-gazetted) and Group C posts are filled by the DSSSB. The UPSC fills central and All India services, and the High Court fills judicial posts.

What does DSSSB recruit for?

Teachers, assistants, clerks, stenographers, junior engineers, warders, patwaris, drivers and more in Delhi government departments and local bodies.

Do I need a Delhi domicile for DSSSB?

The DSSSB pages we opened state no Delhi-residence requirement. OBC candidates need an OBC (Delhi) certificate to claim reservation; check each advertisement.

Can an OBC candidate from another state claim reservation in Delhi?

Not automatically. The Board says such a candidate must apply as unreserved and hold a non-creamy-layer certificate, unless the certificate qualifies under the Delhi rules.

Is there negative marking in DSSSB?

Yes, 0.25 marks per wrong MCQ answer under the 2013 scheme, though each advertisement states the rule.

Is there an interview in DSSSB?

No. By notices of 2017, the Board dropped interviews for all posts and bases selection on written merit (Tier II in two-tier posts), with skill tests where the job requires them.

How many tiers does a DSSSB exam have?

One or two, depending on the post. Clerical, patwari, warder and driver posts are one tier. Assistant, junior engineer and PGT posts have two tiers, with Tier I used only for shortlisting.

Who conducts the Delhi Police constable exam?

The SSC, not the DSSSB, according to the 2025 cycle reports. The exam is computer-based, followed by a qualifying physical test and a medical.

What is the Delhi Police constable exam pattern?

Reported: 100 questions, 100 marks, 90 minutes, with 50 on general knowledge and current affairs, 25 on reasoning, 15 on numerical ability and 10 on computer fundamentals, and 0.25 negative marking.

What is the age limit for Delhi Police constable?

Reported: 18 to 25 years as on 1 July 2025, with relaxation for reserved categories. Check the latest SSC notice for the date of each year.

Do male Delhi Police constable candidates need a driving licence?

Reported: yes, a valid light motor vehicle licence by the date of the physical test.

Is the physical test counted in the Delhi Police constable merit?

Reported: no, it is qualifying only, and merit rests on the computer-based test.

Who recruits Delhi Police Sub-Inspectors?

The SSC, through its CPO examination for Delhi Police and central armed police forces, in two papers with a physical test and medical examination in between.

How do I become a judge in Delhi?

Through the Delhi Judicial Service exam run by the Delhi High Court (prelims, mains and interview, reported) or, for senior experienced advocates, the Delhi Higher Judicial Service exam.

Does Delhi Metro recruit through DSSSB?

No. DMRC is a separate corporation, a joint venture of the Union and the Delhi government, and it advertises its own vacancies at delhimetrorail.com.

What reservation applies in Delhi government jobs?

Reported: the central pattern of 15% SC, 7.5% ST, 27% OBC and 10% EWS, with the number of vacancies per category set in each advertisement.

Where do I find live Delhi vacancies?

On Delhi government jobs, and always cross-check the official DSSSB, SSC, High Court or DMRC notice.

Sources and verification

Time-sensitive facts (budget, exam rules, the district reorganisation, the status of the 2021 and 2023 amendments to the governing Act) were checked on 4 October 2026. Where sources disagreed or a figure came from a single secondary source, the text says so. Election figures are Wikipedia reproductions of Election Commission data, with the 2026-27 budget from PRS Legislative Research; cross-check Election Commission results before quoting a number in an answer. Census 2011 is the latest published census.

Facts verified on 4 October 2026. Official documents were read where the sites allowed; several sites render poorly or serve scanned PDFs, so many current-cycle figures come from prep and news sites and are marked "reported" in the text.

• DSSSB official homepage (dsssb.delhi.gov.in), opened on 4 October 2026.
• DSSSB "Mandate of the Board" chapter from the Annual Report 2024-25 (Resolutions of 1996, 2008, 2015 and the 2017 notices on interviews), read as a PDF.
• DSSSB "New Examination Scheme" notice of 14 February 2013 with Annexures A and B, read as a PDF.
• DSSSB FAQ page on OBC certificates, and DSSSB result notices (2017 advertisements), read as PDFs; one is a scan and was read only in part.
• Delhi High Court official site (delhihighcourt.nic.in), homepage recruitment items and its history page.
• Delhi Transport Corporation site (dtc.delhi.gov.in), recruitment notices page. The DMRC and SSC homepages returned no usable content.
• Wikipedia, as a cross-check only: Delhi Metro (DMRC incorporation and first line).
• Careers360, pages on the Delhi Police Constable 2025 notification, DSSSB Recruitment 2024 and the SSC SI Delhi Police 2025 deferral.
• Physics Wallah, pages on the Delhi Police constable exam pattern, head constable eligibility, DSSSB eligibility and DSSSB JE selection.
• Drishti Judiciary, Delhi Judicial Services page.
• Search-result summaries (not full pages) for the constable 2025 result, SI 2025 notice, DSSSB Advertisement 03/2026, DMRC recruitment, DJS and DHJS eligibility, the reservation circular and DSSSB age relaxation.