BJP puts off meet to pick Delhi CM, AAP smells ‘internal strife’

The BJP on Monday once again postponed its legislature party meeting to select Delhi Chief Minister. The meeting has now been rescheduled for Wednesday. However, the party has yet to appoint observers to facilitate discussions with its newly-elected MLAs.

Amid the delay, the party has begun preparations for a grand swearing-in ceremony at the Ram Lila Ground, which is expected to be attended by the party’s top leadership.

The repeated delays have drawn criticism from opposition parties, who have questioned the BJP’s ability to expedite government formation in Delhi. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) claimed the saffron party was embroiled in an “internal conflict”.

“Why should the people of Delhi suffer because of the BJP’s internal conflict? The groupism within their party has already begun. If they are taking 10 days just to decide on a Chief Minister and cabinet, one can only imagine how long they will take to make decisions for the welfare of Delhi’s people,” a senior AAP leader said.

Outgoing Chief Minister Atishi criticised the BJP for failing to name a CM even 10 days after the election results were announced. She claimed that PM Narendra Modi was aware that the BJP MLAs lacked skills to govern.