Vijendra Gupta (L), Parvesh Sahib Singh, Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva and Manoj Tiwari could be among the frontrunners, or the BJP may once again pick a surprise candidate.
| Photo Credit: The Hindu
Having secured a major victory in the national capital, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is set to decide on the next Chief Minister of Delhi. There are several contenders in the contest for the CM’s post. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) repeatedly took jibes at the BJP over the lack of a chief ministerial face in the campaign for the just concluded election.
Even as the votes were being counted on Saturday (February 8, 2025) morning, Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva confirmed that the party’s central leadership would be deciding soon on the CM. “The next Delhi Chief Minister will be from the BJP but the (party’s) central leadership will decide on who it will be,” Mr. Sachdeva said.
Also read: Delhi election results 2025 highlights
The BJP recorded a historic mandate in its favour by winning 48 of the 70 Assembly constituencies in the national capital.
The party has fought several State elections without a CM face, including in Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh, and the party’s picks for the top chair have registered surprise from time to time. In its unsuccessful bid for 2015 Delhi Assembly election, the BJP had former Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Kiran Bedi as its chief ministerial candidate.
Party sources said the messaging behind selection of the next Delhi Chief Minister would hold significance.
In Haryana, the party chose Nayab Singh Saini, a non-Jat face, as the Chief Minister. In Delhi, the party may consider Parvesh Sahib Singh, an experienced leader and a Jat, for the post. Mr. Parvesh Sahib Singh, son of former Delhi CM Sahib Singh Verma, and former MP from the West Delhi Lok Sabha constituency, has proved to be a giant killer in defeating the AAP supremo and former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal in the New Delhi Assembly constituency.
The party may select Vijendra Gupta to appeal to its core voter base among Delhi’s traders and businesspeople. Mr. Gupta is one of the few BJP leaders who managed to retain his seat from Rohini in the previous two terms. He has been serving as the Leader of the Opposition in the Delhi Assembly.
Mr. Sachdeva, a Sangh parivar loyalist, is also a key contender. Sources in the BJP said that the central leadership credited the victory to the Delhi BJP president’s grassroots appeal and organisational skills.
Since Assembly election in Bihar is forthcoming, the BJP may choose to find a Purvanchali face to lead the Delhi government. The party extensively appealed to the Purvanchali voter base in Delhi ahead of the just concluded election. This could make Manoj Tiwari, MP from the Northeast Delhi Lok Sabha constituency and one of the most prominent Purvanchali faces in the capital, a strong contender.
The BJP has also recorded victories in four out of the 12 reserved seats in Delhi — Bawana, Trilokpuri, Madipur, and Mangol Puri. If the party appoints one of these winners to the post, Delhi could get its first Scheduled Caste (SC) Chief Minister.
Sources in the party said that it is possible the BJP’s central leadership may spring a surprise candidate, as seen in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, and Odisha.
Published – February 08, 2025 09:35 pm IST