Sushma made Delhi CM
Sahib Singh Verma steps down
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Oct 10 — The Chief Minister of Delhi, Mr Sahib Singh Verma, today stepped down paving the way for the Union Information & Broadcasting Minister, Ms Sushma Swaraj, to succeed him.

The party General-Secretary and in-charge of Delhi affairs, Mr Venkaiah Naidu today made this announcement after day-long hectic discussions.

"We have decided to go to the polls under the leadership of Ms Swaraj. This was a collective decision to which Mr Sahib Singh was also a party," Mr Naidu said.

Mr Naidu did not specify any reason for the change in leadership. "The decision is no reflection on the performance of Mr Verma during the past two years."

The swearing-in of Ms Sushma Swaraj will take place tomorrow.

Facing an almost certain defeat at the hands of the Congress, the BJP has taken this sudden decision to improve its chances of winning. The party has been under flak for some time now for its failure to control the prices of essential goods, the power and water crisis and the dropsy case which claimed several lives.

The resignation of Mr Sahib Singh came about after he met Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee.

The Bharatiya Janata Party President, Mr Kushabhau Thakre, the former Delhi Chief Minister, Mr Madan Lal Khurana, Rajya Sabha MP, Pramod Mahajan, Union Home Minister, L.K. Advani and Mr Venkaiah Naidu, are reported to have been present at the meeting.

A city BJP leader said the decision was taken during the meeting where it was discussed who will lead the party for the assembly poll.

Mr Sahib Singh was under pressure to step down ever since Mr M.L. Khurana was discharged by a Hawala court. Mr Khurana had stepped down after he was charge-sheeted in the Hawala case.

When Mr Khurana had resigned, at that time too, Ms Swaraj was actively considered for the post of Delhi Chief Ministership. However, Mr Sahib Singh had pipped her to the post because of his reported proximity to the RSS.