New Delhi: Amid speculation over who will be the new CM of Delhi, the legislators from the saffron party have arrived to choose their leader who will lead the government. The much-awaited decision is being debated in the BJP legislature party meeting held at the party's Delhi unit office from 7 pm. The saffron party has come to power after 26 years, beating the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the February 5 Delhi Assembly polls.
BJP national general secretary Arun Singh said MP Ravi Shankar Prasad and the party's national Secretary Om Prakash Dhankar have been appointed as the central observers for electing the leaders of the Delhi BJP Legislature Party.
Speaking about the oath-taking event scheduled on Thursday, BJP leader Tarun Chugh said, "Under the leadership of PM Modi, Delhi will head towards being a world-class capital... Every poor, common man is the biggest VIP and they will be present here to bless PM Narendra Modi and the new cabinet...The ceremony is scheduled to be held at 11 am tomorrow...".
Meanwhile, MLA elect and BJP leader Mohan Singh Bisht spoke of his chances to be chosen as a possible speaker of the new assembly after the CM is chosen.
"The party will decide it. It is a fact that a BJP worker will be the (Delhi) CM's face. The party will assign the responsibility...If I will be (the CM), then I will see what all to be done," he told ANI.
On if he gets chosen as the Speaker, he said, "My priorities will be smooth conduct of the House and raising important issues of Delhi in the House."
The meeting was being attended by 48 newly elected MLAs of the BJP besides top leaders. After the meeting, the party will stake claim to form the government in a meeting with Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena. Apart from Vinod Tawde and Tarun Chugh, in charge of the swearing-in ceremony, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva and other party officials were also present at the meeting. The swearing-in ceremony will be held at Ramlila Maidan on February 20.
According to sources, apart from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Chief Ministers of NDA-ruled states, central cabinet ministers, and popular MPs are among the invitees at the event.
A meeting was held at the Delhi BJP State Office on Tuesday evening. National Organisation Minister BL Santosh, BJP national general secretary Vinod Tawde, Tarun Chugh and Delhi BJP state president Virendra Sachdeva attended the meeting. According to sources, the party is considering inviting the people of Delhi to the swearing-in ceremony of the CM. From temple priests to 250 vistaraks of all the slum areas of Delhi have also been invited.
Ever since the election results came out, curiosity grew among the people about the name of the Chief Minister, who would helm the cabinet. The names of Pravesh Verma, Satish Upadhyay, Ashish Sood, Jitendra Mahajan, Vijendra Gupta, Abhay Verma, Rekha Gupta and Shikha Rai are doing the rounds. A party source said there may also be a surprise announcement.
Some within the party believe that the BJP leadership could choose a "dark horse" as Delhi's next chief minister, a strategy the party opted for in Rajasthan, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Chhattisgarh.
