After a historic victory in the Delhi Assembly elections, the BJP is gearing up for a major decision: who will become the next chief minister of Delhi?
Names such as Parvesh Verma, Rekha Gupta, Ashish Sood, Satish Upadhyay and Shikha Roy were being discussed as potential contenders for the post. However, according to The Week, New Delhi MLA Parvesh Verma could be sidelined in favour of other leaders. Verma, BJP’s prominent Jat leader in the national capital who defeated AAP’s Arvind Kejriwal from the New Delhi seat in the Delhi Assembly Election 2025.
The BJP's practice of picking unpopular MLAs for the post, like it did in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, has also cast a shadow of gloom among Verma supporters.
According to reports, among these names, Rekha Gupta's name is strongly doing rounds. In addition to being the secretary of BJYM’s Delhi unit, which she also served as the national secretary, Gupta has been elected as a councillor, general secretary of Delhi BJP’s Mahila Morcha and a member of the BJP’s National Executive.
The BJP might also choose a woman for the post as it doesn't have a woman CM in any state.
Who are the other 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.
Another woman leader in contention is Shikha Roy, the MLA-elect from Greater Kailash. She shot in the 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.
Vijender Gupta, the leader of the BJP in the outgoing Assembly, is also being considered.
Another name gaining traction is Bansuri Swaraj, the daughter of the late Sushma Swaraj. A prominent lawyer, she has been actively involved in BJP's campaign efforts and secured a victory in the New Delhi constituency during the Lok Sabha elections.
Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva has made it clear that the final call will be taken by the party’s top leadership. The swearing-in ceremony of the BJP government in Delhi is likely to take place on February 19 or 20. The BJP legislature party meeting will be held around February 18-19
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