BJP’s Delhi CM dilemma: Who will take the reins?
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is keeping its cards close to its chest regarding who will be the next Chief Minister of Delhi. Over 48 hours have passed since the party’s historic win in the Delhi election, but only the topmost brass of BJP knows the name of the person who will take over from outgoing CM Atishi.
Earlier there were speculations that Delhi MPs like Manoj Tiwari, Bansuri Swaraj and former minister Smriti Irani are in the line. However, local BJP leaders claim that the next CM will be selected from the party’s newly elected 48 MLAs in Delhi.
In other words, no one will be “para-dropped” from the top.
As per the convention, the party appoints central observers to oversee proceedings where the leader of the legislative party, the CM, is selected. So far, there is no word on when that meeting will take place. The process is expected to be set in motion after Prime Minister Narendra Modi returns from his tour to France and the US.
On Sunday, Atishi handed over her resignation to Lt Governor VK Saxena. The L-G has asked her to continue till the formation of the new government.
Who will BJP opt for?
Some of the front-runners for the post include Parvesh Verma, who defeated AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal in New Delhi, as well as senior leaders like Satish Upadhyay, Vijender Gupta, Ashish Sood, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, and Pawan Sharma.
There is also buzz that BJP may opt for a woman CM this time, which has put MLAs like Shikha Roy, who defeated Saurabh Bhardwaj in Greater Kailash) Rekha Gupta, Poonam Sharma, and Neelam Pahelwan in the spotlight. If BJP chooses a woman CM, she will become the fourth woman to take the reins in the national capital, after Sushma Swaraj, Sheila Dikshit, and Atishi. Of them, only Dikshit completed her term. The late Congress leader also holds the record for the longest-serving CM of Delhi with a total tenure of 15 years and 25 days.
Caste and community considerations
Before making a final decision, BJP has to consider various caste and community permutations and combinations. The party is known to spring surprises while making such decisions, and this time may be no different. Political factors like caste and community play a key role in such decisions, and BJP already has Brahmin CMs in Rajasthan and Maharashtra, OBCs in Haryana and MP, and Kshatriya in Uttar Pradesh. Therefore, in Delhi it could be someone from the Jat community or perhaps a Sikh with Punjab in mind.
The party also has to take into consideration the sentiments of the big base of ‘Purvanchal’ voters. In the past, BJP has chosen lesser-known names like Bhupendrabhai Patel in Gujarat and Pushkar Singh Dhami in Uttarakhand. Will it be any different in Delhi? Only PM Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and BJP president JP Nadda know for now.
