DEFEATING KEJRIWAL COU SECURE PARVESH VERMA BJP'S CM NOMINATION

Verma is contesting from the New Delhi Assembly seat, where he faces not only Kejriwal but also Congress' Sandeep Dikshit.

- ABHINANDAN MISHRA

While the BJP central leadership, learning from past setbacks, has refrained from announcing a Chief Ministerial candidate for the Delhi elections, party supporters and workers believe that Parvesh Singh Verma, the BJP candidate from the New Delhi seat, could naturally emerge as the CM choice if he defeats Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal and the BJP crosses the crucial 36-seat threshold.

Verma, a two-time Member of Parliament from the West Delhi Lok Sabha constituency, is contesting from the New Delhi Assembly seat, where he faces not only Kejriwal but also Congress's Sandeep Dikshit.

The New Delhi seat, which is not part of his former Lok Sabha constituency, was part of the New Delhi Lok Sabha seat that BJP's Bansuri Swaraj won last year. It has 10 Assembly seats, all of which were won by AAP in the 2020 Assembly polls.