CM role: BJP may pick woman, Old-timer or Purvanchali face

The new Delhi CM will be required to have coordination with the CMs of Haryana and UP because multiple development factors in the Capital such as roads and water supply are linked to the two states

- Alok KN Mishra

NEW DELHI: Two days after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won a comprehensive victory in the Delhi assembly elections, the buzz over who the Capital's next chief minister will be intensified on Monday, with the names of several legislators doing the rounds for the top post.

The results of the Delhi polls were declared on February 8, with the BJP winning 48 seats in the 70-member House, ending a 27-year exile from the city and ousting the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which was reduced to 22 seats, down from 62 earlier.

On Monday, at least two senior BJP leaders aware of the matter told HT that if the party's central leadership leans towards choosing a woman as the next CM, Shalimar Bagh MLA Rekha Gupta - the national vice president of the BJP's women wing - could emerge as a front-runner, though Greater Kailash legislator Shikha Roy, who defeated Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) heavyweight Saurabh Bharadwaj, is also likely to be a contender.