The Bharatiya Janata Party is likely to select an MLA as the new Chief Minister of Delhi, media reports citing party sources said on Friday, dismissing the possibility of the CM being picked from among the party's seven Lok Sabha MPs from the capital.
Speculation around the party considering East Delhi MP Harsh Malhotra, North East Delhi MP Manoj Tiwari, and New Delhi MP Bansuri Swaraj as among the contenders for the post of chief minister had been going around for some days.
However, The Indian Express, citing sources, ruled out the possibility of a party MP being selected as the chief minister and said names like Rekha Gupta, Ashish Sood, Satish Upadhyay and Shikha Roy were being discussed as potential contenders for the post.
The process of the selection of the chief minister and the formation of the Cabinet is expected to pick pace once Prime Minister Narendra Modi lands in India after his visit to US and France over the weekend.
The BJP's top leaders including Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and general secretary BL Santhosh have held extensive meetings since Saturday to deliberate upon the shape of the new Cabinet.
Party sources says the new Delhi Cabinet is expected to draw representatives from various communities, including Punjabi, Baniya and Purvanchali, as well as ensuring representation for women, SC, OBC, and Brahmin communities.
Among the criteria being discussed to shortlist names are a “clean public image”, not being more than 60 years of age and “preference” for leaders whose rise and fall has been tied to BJP-RSS organisation in the capital since they entered active politics, reports IE.
Who are the frontrunners?
Ashish Sood, a long-standing organisational man, is believed to be among the frontrunners for the post of CM. He has previously served as councillor as well as Leader of the House in the erstwhile South MCD and was also the party Goa in-charge and co-incharge for Jammu and Kashmir.
Sood, said to be close to Nadda and Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan, won from the Janakpuri seat by a margin of almost 19,000 votes this election. He has previously served as general secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) and later as its national vice president.
In 2008, he was appointed secretary of Delhi BJP and later general secretary, before being elected as a councillor in the then-SDMC. Sood is one of Delhi BJP’s prominent Punjabi-speaking leaders and also enjoys the backing of the RSS.
Another name being considered for the CM post is that of Rekha Gupta, an old RSS hand who began with the ABVP and was elected DUSU president in the 1990s. Besides handling various responsibilities at the BJYM's Delhi unit, Guota has also served as a councillor, general secretary of Delhi BJP’s Mahila Morcha and a member of the BJP’s National Executive.
Another woman leader in contention is Shikha Roy, the MLA-elect from Greater Kailash. She shot to spotlight after she unfurled the Tricolour at Lal Chowk in Srinagar during a curfew in 2011. She has served as the Leader of the House as well as chairperson of the then SDMC Standing Committee. Roy has also held organisational responsibilities such as secretary, general secretary and vice-president of the Delhi BJP.
Satish Upadhyay is also seen as one of the frontrunners for the post. He is former Delhi BJP president and vice-chairperson of the New Delhi Municipal Council and has served in organisational posts such as Delhi BJP vice-president and chairperson of the SDMC Standing Committee, among others.
BJP president JP Nadda said on Thursday that the Delhi CM will be selected soon. "Selecting the Delhi CM will not be a tough call at all. It will be decided within 15 minutes when the party leadership meets," he said.
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