New Delhi:
The new Delhi Chief Minister – identity as yet unknown since the Bharatiya Janata Party, which thumped the Aam Aadmi Party 48-22 in this month’s election, has not named anyone – will take oath at 4.30 pm Thursday, sources told NDTV this afternoon.
The venue, also not yet announced, is likely to be the city’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.
The 48 newly-elected BJP Delhi MLAs are expected to meet Wednesday to select their leader, who will then likely replace the AAP’s Atishi as Delhi’s new Chief Minister.
Last week BJP sources told NDTV efforts to form the new Delhi government had been put on hold till Prime Minister Narendra Modi returned from his trip to France and the United States.
A decision on who will be the BJP’s first Delhi Chief Minister in nearly three decades has been pending since the BJP won the election. Mr Modi, now back in India, is expected to meet Home Minister Amit Shah and party chief JP Nadda, as well as his Delhi leadership, to take these decisions.
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Whenever the PM’s meeting, and that of the legislative party, are held, and whomever is chosen, what is certain is the BJP is planning on a mega swearing-in ceremony for its new Delhi government.
Over 200 former and current BJP MPs, the Chief Ministers of all states ruled by the party or its allies will be present, and all major state leaders and workers are likely be present.
Sources have told NDTV a shortlist of 15 names has been finalised; the new Chief Minister, his/her cabinet members, and the Assembly Speaker will be chosen from this list. Nine names will be chosen, sources had said, suggesting Delhi will have, for now, a total of eight ministers.
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The odds-on favourite for the Chief Minister’ post is two-time ex-MP Parvesh Verma, who defeated AAP boss and former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to win the New Delhi constituency.
Others expected on the BJP’s chief ministerial shortlist are the party’s Delhi unit leader, Virendra Sachdeva, and Bansuri Swaraj, a first-time MP who is the daughter of the late former Union Minister Sushma Swaraj. Satish Upadhyay, the BJP’s Brahmin face in Delhi, is also an option.
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The BJP engineered a triumphant return to power in Delhi after the February 5 election. The party won 48 of Delhi’s 70 Assembly seats after winning a combined 11 in two previous polls.
The AAP, looking to win a third straight term found itself dragged down by attacks targeting party boss Arvind Kejriwal over the ‘sheeshmahal’ and liquor excise policy scandals, among others.
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Eventually the party flopped badly, winning just 22 seats. For context, the party swept 67 seats in the 2015 election and 62 five years later.
The Congress was routed – it got zero seats for a third successive Delhi election.
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