Atishi set to become Delhi's new CM: A look at female Chief Ministers in India since 2000

Sep 17, 2024

By: Prerna Tyagi

Credit: BCCL

​Atishi​

Atishi is set to be Delhi’s new Chief Minister following Arvind Kejriwal’s resignation. She is a prominent leader of the Aam Aadmi Party since 2013, and represents the Kalkaji constituency as an MLA. Known for her key role in education reforms, Atishi’s rise marks a new chapter in Delhi’s political landscape.

Credit: BCCL

​ Sheila Dikshit​

Sheila Dikshit became the longest-serving CM of Delhi with three consecutive terms from 1998 to 2013. A veteran of the Indian National Congress, she also served briefly as the Governor of Kerala.

Credit: BCCL

Mamata Banerjee​

Mamata Banerjee has been the Chief Minister of West Bengal since 2011. The founder of the All India Trinamool Congress, she also served as the Union Railway Minister in two separate terms before taking charge of West Bengal.

Credit: BCCL

Vasundhara Raje​

Vasundhara Raje entered politics in 1984 as a member of the newly-formed Bharatiya Janata Party. She was sworn in as the CM of Rajasthan in 2003 and continued till 2018, and later from December 2003 to December 2008.

Credit: BCCL

J. Jayalalitha​

J. Jayalalitha, fondly called ‘Amma’, led Tamil Nadu as CM for over 14 years across six terms between 1991 and 2016. She was also the longest-serving general secretary of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK).

Credit: BCCL

​Mayawati​

Mayawati served as Uttar Pradesh’s CM across four incomplete terms between 1995 and 2003, before a full term from 2007 to 2012. She is the national president of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).

Credit: BCCL

Anandiben Patel

Anandiben Patel was the first and to date, the only female Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2016 to 2016. A veteran member of the Bharatiya Janata Party, she is currently serving as the Governor of Uttar Pradesh.

Credit: BCCL

Mehbooba Mufti​

Mehbooba Mufti became the first woman Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir in 2016. Affiliated to the J&K People’s Democratic Party, she comes from a political lineage, with her father Mufti Mohammed Sayeed serving twice as the CM of Jammu and Kashmir.

Credit: BCCL

Rabri Devi​

Rabri Devi, Bihar’s first woman Chief Minister, took the helm in 1997 following the arrest of her husband, Lalu Prasad Yadav. She held the position until 2005. She held that post till 2005.

Credit: BCCL

Delhi rains: Not Delhi, but these are the 10 most rain-soaked places on Earth