Atishi steps down as CM

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president JP Nadda and Union home minister Amit Shah met on Sunday at the latter's residence in the national capital, a day after the BJP comprehensively won the Delhi assembly elections and ended a 27-year jinx.

- Alok KN Mishra

NEW DELHI:

While the meeting between Nadda and Shah has increased the likelihood that the party has narrowed down a pick for the next Delhi chief minister, senior BJP leaders said that the name will be finalised only after Prime Minister Narendra Modi —who is scheduled to travel to France and the United States this week—returns to India.

The leaders said that the selection of the CM "may take a few days because the PM (Narendra Modi) is on an official foreign tour".

According to a BJP leader aware of the matter, the party is likely to stake a claim to form the Delhi government next week, after the PM returns.

As has been the case in other state assembly elections, the BJP in Delhi too did not announce a CM candidate, riding its campaign around stalled governance, corruption allegations against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led government, welfare schemes, and PM Modi's name.

However, on Saturday, senior leaders, including the PM, held consultations at the BJP headquarters after Modi delivered a victory speech to party workers, news agency PTI reported.