BJP MLAs Meet Nadda as Buzz Over CM Pick Still On

A group of newly elected Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators met party president JP Nadda at his office in Parliament on Tuesday, even as speculation swirled over who will be the next chief minister of Delhi, with the names of several leaders doing the rounds.

- Alok KN Mishra

NEW DELHI:

The BJP won the recently concluded Delhi assembly elections, securing 48 seats in the 70-member House and ending a 27-year exile from the Capital. However, the party contested the polls without a chief ministerial face, fueling intrigue over its eventual pick.

To be sure, the BJP MLAs who met Nadda on Tuesday insisted it was a "courtesy call".

Several names are being discussed, including Parvesh Verma, who defeated former CM Arvind Kejriwal from New Delhi, Shalimar Bagh MLA Rekha Gupta, Shikha Roy (Greater Kailash), Vijender Gupta (Rohini), Satish Upadhyay (Malviya Nagar), Ashish Sood (Janakpuri), Pawan Sharma (Uttam Nagar), Kapil Mishra (Karawal Nagar), and Abhay Verma (Laxmi Nagar).

BJP has a history of selecting unexpected candidates for the CM post, as seen in Rajasthan, Haryana, and Madhya Pradesh, making a surprise pick in Delhi possible.

One of the MLAs who met Nadda told HT that during the meeting, no discussion took place over who is likely to be the next chief minister.

"The MLAs thanked the party chief for his rallies and public meetings during the assembly elections and also for the way the top leadership guided us in exposing the lies of Arvind Kejriwal. Whosoever the party picks as the chief minister will be acceptable to us," said the MLA, asking not to be identified.