The wait for the new chief minister of Delhi is likely to end on Thursday. The BJP legislative party meeting will be held on Thursday at the party’s office to elect the leader of the legislative party, who will be the Chief Minister of Delhi. The delay was owing to the France and US tour of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who returned to Delhi on Saturday.
According to BJP sources, the party has informed all the MLAs about the meeting. The meeting will be held at the party’s Delhi state office.
The oath-taking ceremony is likely to take place on February 18, and 15 MLAs have been shortlisted for key ministerial posts. The BJP won 48 out of 70 seats in Delhi, ending the rule of Aam Aadmi Party in the capital.
Sources said the observer for the process could be named tonight or early tomorrow morning who will hold talks with the newly elected party MLAs. The observers will be responsible to represent the central leadership of the party and mediate between them and the 48 MLAs. Though party officials have yet to make an official announcement but confirmed that 14 names of probable have been sent to the central leadership.
Preparations to form the BJP government gained momentum after Prime Minister Narendra Modi back to the capital following his trip to France and the United States of America. PM Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP President JP Nadda and other senior party leaders will finalise key decisions regarding the new government which includes a chief minister, a council of ministers and perhaps one or two deputy chief ministers.
Amid the buzz about the yet-to-be announced Delhi Chief Minister, the BJP national president and Union minister JP Nadda on Saturday chaired the BJP national general secretary meeting at the BJP headquarters in Delhi. However, the CM face of Delhi is still a suspense as the BJP has not made any announcement yet.
With speculation growing over the next leader, the decision is expected to have significant political implications for the capital. The BJP’s selection process is being closely watched, as the party looks to strengthen its position ahead of future electoral battles in Delhi.
Though party officials have yet to make an official announcement but confirmed that 14 names of probable have been sent to the central leadership. Among them, Bansuri Swaraj, Virendra Sachdeva, Pravesh Verma, Vijender Gupta, Manoj Tiwari, Satish Upadhyay and Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Rekha Gupta.
Parvesh Verma has emerged as a prominent contender after defeating Arvind Kejriwal in the New Delhi constituency. The son of former chief minister Saheb Singh Verma, Parvesh has previously won the West Delhi Lok Sabha seat twice and is viewed as a key representative of the Jat community, which played a pivotal role in the BJP’s electoral victory.
Bansuri Swaraj, daughter of late Sushma Swaraj, is Member of Parliament from New Delhi. She is a vocal face who has a strong reputation in state as well as central leadership in the BJP. Swaraj, a lawyer by profession, could be a probable choice as her mother was also CM of Delhi in 1998 after Sahib Singh Verma resigned.
Virendra Sachdeva is currently serving as Delhi BJP President who enjoys support of central leadership. Sachdeva was first promoted as acting chief after MCD elections and later his appointment was made permanent. In his leadership, the party has succeeded to win Delhi assembly elections after a gap of 27 years. In 2024 General Elections, the BJP had won all seven seats of Delhi defeating INDIA bloc’s candidates under his leadership. Though he has not contested, the party may show its faith in him.
The announcement will put an end to widespread discussions about potential candidates, as party members and the public eagerly await the official confirmation.
More than 200 MPs and former MPs of the party, Chief Ministers and Deputy Chief Ministers of all NDA-ruled states will be present and al the state leaders and workers will be present. The party has set its eye on is Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan, sources said.
Multiple names for the top post are doing the rounds since the results made a thumping BJP victory clear last week.
The AAP, which ruled Delhi for more than 10 years, ended up winning just 22 seats in the hotly contested elections, the results of which were declared on February 8.