The North News
New Delhi, February 19
The suspense over Delhi’s next chief minister continues as newly elected Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs are set to meet at 7 pm today to elect their legislative party leader. Several names are being considered, including Parvesh Verma, who defeated AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal, as well as former Delhi BJP presidents Vijender Gupta and Satish Upadhyay. Other contenders include Rekha Gupta, Pawan Sharma, Ashish Sood, Shikha Rai, Ravinder Indraj Singh, and Kailash Gangwal.
The BJP’s Parliamentary Board has appointed senior leaders Ravi Shankar Prasad and Om Prakash Dhankhar as central observers for the election of Delhi’s legislative party leader. The BJP sources suggest that the final decision will come after discussions between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.
Speculation is also growing that BJP could spring a surprise by selecting a “dark horse”—a strategy the party has previously used in Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh. There are also discussions within the BJP about appointing a woman chief minister for Delhi. The chosen leader will take the oath on February 20.
BJP leaders Tarun Chugh and Vinod Tawde are overseeing the swearing-in arrangements.
