NEW DELHI, Feb. 9 -- After winning 48 Assembly seats out of 70, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is all set to end its political exile of 27 years in the Capital and form the next government in Delhi.
Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva on Sunday wrote to Lieutenant-Governor V K Saxena, seeking time from him for a meeting with the 48 newly-elected party MLAs. "I along with the BJP MPs from Delhi and our newly elected 48 MLAs wish to meet you at an early date. Please, allow an appointment at an early date according to your convenience," the letter said.
Earlier in the day, AAP leader and Chief Minister Atishi who managed to win her Kalkaji seat tendered her resignation to the Delhi L-G, who has asked her to continue till the ruling party stakes claim to form the government.
The focus in the BJP has turned to discussions on choosing the next Chief Minister of Delhi. Sources said that discussions in the party are on picking the best person to head the government and possibilities are learnt to have revolved from picking one of BJP's seven Lok Sabha MPs from Delhi also. The new CM could also be one of its new legislators with the highest victory margin, especially a woman leader.
According to sources, the selection of a deputy chief minister could also be considered. Party sources said there are MLAs like former two-time West Delhi MP Parvesh Verma, who emerged as a giant slayer by defeating AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal and names of East Delhi MP Harsh Malhotra, North East Delhi MP Manoj Tiwari, and New Delhi MP Bansuri Swaraj are also doing the rounds.
According to sources, Vijender Gupta, a senior BJP leader who has served as the Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly, Satish Upadhyay, a key Brahmin face who previously served as the state president; and Ashish Sood, the general secretary of the Delhi BJP are also among contenders.
Sources said the swearing-in ceremony of the new Delhi Chief Minister may be held after February 13 following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to France and the U.S. The Prime Minister is visiting the US on February 12-13 for his first meeting with the newly sworn-in President Donald Trump in Washington DC.
Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said that the decision to pick the Chief Minister will be taken by the party's central leadership. The party also did not rule out the possibility of its national leadership placing its bet on a woman candidate for the Delhi chief minister's post.
On Saturday evening after his address to the party workers at the BJP headquarters, the Prime Minister chaired a meeting with Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP national president JP Nadda, and other leaders.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.