NEW DELHI: With the BJP securing a decisive victory, attention has now shifted to the crucial decision of selecting the next Delhi chief minister.
While several names, including those of party MPs from Delhi, have been speculated, the party is expected to pick someone among newly elected MLAs to avoid byelection.
Among the leading contenders, Parvesh Verma has gained prominence following his significant win over Arvind Kejriwal in the latter’s stronghold of New Delhi.
Son of former chief minister Saheb Singh Verma, Parvesh has previously won the West Delhi Lok Sabha seat twice. He is viewed as a strong representative of the Jat community, which played a key role in BJP’s success.
Another notable candidate is Vijender Gupta, the BJP leader in the outgoing assembly, who secured his third consecutive victory from Rohini. His experience and leadership make him a strong contender for the role.
However, if the party decides to look for someone who didn’t contest the Delhi assembly election, Virendra Sachdeva could be one such probables.
The president of the Delhi unit of the BJP has been instrumental in strengthening the party’s presence in the national capital.
Under his leadership, the Delhi BJP stormed back to power after 27 years of gap. Sachdeva played a key role in highlighting issues such as governance, infrastructure and local civic to challenge the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
He has been actively involved in outreach programs and has spearheaded initiatives to bring traders, professionals, and marginalised communities within the party’s voter base.
Another name could be Harish Khurana, who just like Parvesh Verma, is the son of former Delhi CM Madan Lal Khurana. He defeated AAP’s Shiv Charan Goel by 11,657 votes in his debut.
Harish was a spokesperson for the BJP and an active party member for several years before he was finally nominated to contest the assembly polls this year.
The only female contender being talked about for the CM post is Bansuri Swaraj, who is the daughter of the late Sushma Swaraj. She is seen as an emerging political leader and a prominent lawyer.
Bansuri Swaraj triumphed in the New Delhi constituency during the Lok Sabha polls. Swaraj clinched the seat by a substantial lead, outperforming her closest competitor, Somnath Bharti, by more than 70,000 votes. She was also actively involved during the party’s campaign for the Delhi assembly elections.
However, the BJP sources told TOI that “it is too premature” to rush into the decision to pick a person for Delhi’s top post.
“The leadership is not going to be rushed into a decision and, in all likelihood, it will be taken after PM Modi’s return from the US on Friday,” the party source said.
The BJP has a history of making unexpected choices for key state positions, often selecting lesser-known leaders to ensure better control and introduce fresh perspectives. This indicates that the party may consider candidates beyond Verma, Gupta, and other prominent names, opting for someone who aligns with broader demographic or regional expectations.