New Delhi:
Set to return to power in Delhi after a 27-year gap, the BJP, which campaigned without declaring a chief ministerial face, will now have several contenders for the post. While it could spring a surprise like it did in Rajasthan with Bhajan Lal Sharma, in Madhya Pradesh with Mohan Yadav and in Chhattisgarh with Vishnu Deo Sai, these are the chief minister probables for the BJP in the national capital:
Parvesh Verma: The son of former Delhi chief minister Sahib Singh Verma, Parvesh Verma has been a two-time MP from the West Delhi constituency. What will boost his chances is his status as a giant slayer, having defeated AAP chief and former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal from the New Delhi constituency, where he also faced off against the Congress’ Sandeep Dikshit, who is the son of former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit.
The firebrand leader’s remarks have often sparked controversies, including during the Shaheen Bagh protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act, the National Register of Citizens and the National Population Register. Mr Verma had said the demonstrators would be cleared in an hour if the BJP came to power in the national capital. In 2022, he had also made a boycott call which appeared to be aimed at Muslims. “Wherever you see them, if you want to fix their head, if you want to set them straight, then the only cure is total boycott. Raise your hand if you agree,” the then MP had said.
Ramesh Bidhuri: Despite the two-term MP from West Delhi stating that it was “baseless” to talk about him for the post of Delhi chief minister, Ramesh Bidhuri is seen as one of the frontrunners. An advocate, he has been a key political figure in Delhi at least since 2003, when he was made the vice president of the BJP’s state unit. Elected as an MP in 2014 and reelected in 2019, Mr Bidhuri is contesting against Chief Minister Atishi from the Kalkaji constituency.
Mr Bidhuri had made headlines in September 2023, when he used Islamophobic slurs against Amroha MP Danish Ali, sparking a huge controversy. After his candidature for the Delhi Assembly elections was declared, his remarks on Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi’s cheeks and Atishi’s surname change had stirred up a row. The comments earned him a rap from the BJP and he apologised for some of them.
Virendra Sachdeva: Serving as the Delhi BJP working president since 2022 and appointed the full-time president in 2023, Virendra Sachdeva will get a lot of the credit for keeping factionalism in check and bringing the party to power in the capital for the first time since 1998. Facing an uphill task, Mr Sachdeva has always projected confidence that the BJP would form a government in Delhi. Asked who would be the chief minister after early leads showed the BJP comfortably ahead, Mr Sachdeva simply said it would be someone from the party and the central leadership would take a call.
Bansuri Swaraj: Elected as an MP only last year, Bansuri Swaraj, daughter of the late Sushma Swaraj, is already emerging as one of the key leaders of the BJP in Delhi. A lawyer, she was appointed the head of the Delhi BJP’s legal cell in 2023 and then named the candidate from the New Delhi Lok Sabha constituency, replacing the incumbent MP and Union Minister Meenakshi Lekhi.
Dushyant Gautam: A National General Secretary and former Rajya Sabha MP, Dushyant Gautam is contesting from the Karol Bagh constituency against the AAP’s Vishesh Ravi, who has won the seat three times since 2013.
Manoj Tiwari: The only sitting MP to be repeated as a candidate from Delhi by the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Manoj Tiwari is arguably the party’s biggest face in the capital. The actor-turned-politician has a considerable following among migrants from the Purvanchal region, which comprises eastern Uttar Pradesh and western Bihar.
