Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal congratulated Ludhiana’s Aryan Gupta for securing All India Rank (AIR) 1 in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) (Undergraduate) 2026, saying the achievement had made Punjab proud and inspired lakhs of students across the country.
In a post shared on X, Kejriwal said, “Congratulations Aryan for topping the NEET-UG exam. You have made Punjab proud. You are a true inspiration for lakhs of students across India.”
He also congratulated all successful students and encouraged those who could not clear the exam this time to keep working hard, saying they would return stronger.
“Many congratulations to all the students who did well. Keep making your parents, teachers, and country proud. To my dear children who fell short this time, do not lose heart at all. Work hard, and I am absolutely confident you will come back much stronger,” Kejriwal added.
Aryan Gupta from Ludhiana secured AIR 1 in NEET UG 2026 with a percentile of 99.9999, scoring 715 out of 720 marks.
Speaking to ANI after the results were announced, Aryan credited consistent hard work, discipline, guidance from teachers and support from his family for his success.
“I secured All India Rank 1 in NEET (UG) 2026. I got 715 out of 720 marks. I worked very hard for two years, studied a lot, and took a lot of stress too, so it feels very good. I’m feeling very relieved. It feels like I’ve got the fruit of the hard work I put in,” Aryan said.
Sharing his preparation strategy, Aryan advised future aspirants to trust their teachers and maintain discipline.
“My elder brother Aditya had already told me to follow the teachers blindly. Whatever homework, DPPs or assignments they gave, I would finish them at home. Two years passed like this,” he said.
Aryan said his family played a crucial role throughout his preparation journey.
“My family’s support was immense. My elder brother has been a role model for me for two years. My father always made sure someone was sitting with me. Every night, Papa would come after work and sit with me. The family has been very supportive,” he said.
Expressing his future plans, Aryan said he aims to pursue medicine at AIIMS Delhi and become an oncologist.
“I will join AIIMS Delhi and hopefully become a great oncologist,” he said.
Advising NEET aspirants, Aryan said, “First, follow the teachers blindly; do as they say and don’t use your own brain too much. Second, work hard with honesty. If you don’t work honestly, you won’t get the result you want.”
Aryan’s father, Dr Sachin Gupta, an anaesthetist from Ludhiana, said the achievement was a proud moment for the family.
“As parents, there is nothing bigger than this. This year, my son has secured All India Rank 1, and my elder son secured All India Rank 54 last year. He is studying at Maulana Azad Medical College in Delhi, and Aryan will be joining AIIMS Delhi. As a father and a parent, there can be no greater happiness than your children turning out to be capable and sincere in their studies,” he said.
Dr Gupta said the family’s role was to provide constant support during the preparation period.
“We used to give time to the children. After coming home at 8 PM, I used to sit with them until midnight while they were studying. We couldn’t teach them that much, but we were always there for them,” he said.
He added that both sons were inspired to pursue medicine after growing up in a family of doctors.
“I am an anaesthetist, my wife is a gynaecologist. Seeing the entire family of doctors, the children chose this line themselves,” Dr Gupta said.
Aryan’s mother, Dr Reenu Gupta, a gynaecologist, credited her son’s dedication and family support for the achievement.
“He has achieved a very big milestone. It’s because of his hard work and the support of his father and brother,” she said.
According to the National Testing Agency (NTA), 11.21 lakh candidates qualified for admission to undergraduate medical, dental, AYUSH and allied courses in NEET UG 2026.
Nearly 20 lakh candidates appeared for the examination conducted on June 21 at 5,440 centres across 551 cities in India and 14 cities abroad in 13 languages.
The NTA said the results were declared in time to ensure that the counselling and medical college admission schedule remains on track. The examination had remained under scrutiny following the paper leak controversy that led to the cancellation of the earlier examination and a re-test on June 21.
