There is widespread speculation about who the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will appoint as the Chief Minister of Delhi. Several names are being discussed in the race for the CM position. The party has clarified that a decision regarding the Chief Minister will be made after February 14, with a grand swearing-in ceremony planned at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. Meanwhile, the BJP aims to present the national capital as a “mini” India and is considering the option of appointing two Deputy Chief Ministers in the new cabinet. Party leaders provided this information on Wednesday.

Helping to Accommodate Various Communities

Some party leaders believe that having two Deputy Chief Ministers in the Delhi government will help accommodate legislators from different castes, communities, and regional backgrounds. They pointed out that this approach has been implemented in several other states, such as Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan, where leaders from diverse backgrounds were given the position of Deputy CM to ensure broader representation.

Meeting Likely on Sunday

This proposal is currently under consideration by the party’s national leadership, which will make the final decision on it, along with selecting the Chief Minister and other ministers. The process of forming the government is expected to accelerate once Prime Minister Narendra Modi returns from his weekend foreign trip. Party leaders have indicated that the BJP legislature party meeting is likely to be held on Sunday to elect the leader of the house, who will become Delhi’s next Chief Minister.

PM Modi Referred to Delhi as ‘Mini India’

After BJP’s impressive victory in the Delhi Assembly elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his speech at the BJP headquarters, described Delhi as a reflection of “Mini India.” A senior Delhi BJP leader stated, “BJP has elected legislators from various communities such as Punjabi, Sikh, Purvanchali, Uttarakhandi, Vaishya, and Jat, who should be represented in our government.” He added that the idea of appointing Deputy Chief Ministers would support this objective. Several names of BJP legislators are being discussed as potential candidates for the Chief Ministerial position.

A senior party leader also mentioned, “If BJP’s Chief Minister belongs to one community, the Deputy CM positions could be used to balance claims from other groups, such as women, Sikhs, Jats, or Baniyas, who played a crucial role in securing this remarkable victory for the party in Delhi.” Rohini MLA Vijender Gupta stated that the BJP government in Delhi would soon establish the Sixth Delhi Finance Commission, which has been pending for the last four years.

Several names are being considered in the race for the Chief Minister’s post. Among them is Pravesh Verma, who defeated AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal from the New Delhi seat. Other contenders include former Delhi BJP chiefs Vijender Gupta and Satish Upadhyay, as well as senior leaders like Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Pawan Sharma, Ashish Sood, Rekha Gupta, and Shikha Rai. Party leaders have also named newly elected MLAs like Karnail Singh and Raj Kumar Bhatia as potential candidates for the top position.