The new Delhi Chief Minister is likely to take oath at the iconic ground Ramlila Maidan on February 20, said the sources on Monday, adding the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is planning a grand ceremony to celebrate the historic victory, marking the ending of a 27-year-long drought in the national capital.
BJP legislature party meet on February 19: Sources
The newly-elected MLAs of the BJP are likely to meet in New Delhi on February 19 to choose the new Chief Minister of Delhi, party sources said. The national leadership of the BJP will send its observers for the legislature party meeting, in which the leader of the House in the Delhi Assembly will be elected, they said.
The leader of the House will be the new Chief Minister of Delhi. The sources also said the new government in the national capital is likely to be formed with the oath-taking ceremony of the Chief Minister and council of ministers on February 20.
Several BJP leaders are in the CM race
The names of several newly-elected MLAs are doing the rounds for the posts of Chief Minister and ministers. Those considered frontrunners for the top post include Parvesh Verma, who defeated AAP chief and former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the election from the New Delhi seat, and former Delhi BJP presidents Vijender Gupta and Satish Upadhyay. Pawan Sharma, Ashish Sood, Rekha Gupta, and Shikha Rai, among others, are also contenders for the Chief Minister's post.
Many in the party believe that, as was the case in Rajasthan, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh, the BJP leadership might put its bets on a "dark horse" among the newly elected MLAs.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in Delhi after a gap of more than 26 years, winning the Assembly polls held on February 5. It ended the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) 10-year rule in Delhi. The saffron party won 48 of the 70 Assembly seats in the capital.
