NEW DELHI: The meeting of newly-elected BJP MLAs in Delhi scheduled for February 17, has been postponed, BJP sources said, adding that it will now be held on February 19 and the new Chief Minister will take oath on February 20.
"The BJP Legislature Party meeting scheduled for tomorrow has been postponed. Now this meeting will be held on February 19. The swearing-in ceremony of the Chief Minister will also be held on February 20 instead of February 18," a BJP source said.
The party secured 48 out of 70 seats, defeating the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and ending its decade-long governance in the capital.
Amid ongoing speculation about the CM candidate, the BJP has scheduled a meeting of its Delhi legislative party on Monday at 3 pm at the Delhi BJP state office. The party’s return to power in Delhi after 27 years has heightened expectations regarding its leadership choice.
Sources in the BJP said that the BJP is likely to choose a leader from among its winning MLAs to avoid the need for byelections
Although 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, are 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 an MP from New Delhi. She is a vocal face who has a strong reputation in the 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 the support of central leadership. Sachdeva was first promoted as acting chief after the MCD elections and later his appointment was made permanent. In his leadership, the party has succeeded in winning Delhi assembly elections after a gap of 27 years.
In the 2024 General Elections, the BJP had won all seven seats of Delhi defeating the INDIA bloc’s candidates under his leadership. Though he has not contested, the party may show its faith in him. Vijender Gupta, a three time MLA, may be the BJP choice considering his experience as legislature and Leader of Opposition (Lop) in the Delhi Assembly. Gupta was Delhi BJP President from 2010 to 2013 and won the Rohini assembly seat during AAP’s strong wave. He is a strong Baniya face in the city.
Manjinder Singh Sirsa has defeated AAP’s Dhanwati Chandela from Rajouri Garden seat. Sirsa is a prominent Punjabi face in Delhi. Sirsa may be the BJP’s choice as the party could think about its possible base expansion in Punjab by elevating him to the top post. Rekha Gupta has defeated AAP’s Vandana Kumari from Shalimar Bagh. She was a councillor in the past and has good experience of public service. Ashish Sood, MLA from Janakpuri is also in the Chief Minister’s race.
(With inputs from ANI)