Delhi polls: BJP to announce CM face in first week of Jan, says report

The BJP may announce its chief ministerial face for the Delhi Assembly polls in the first week of January, party sources said on Tuesday.

The ruling Aam Aadmi Party has been trying to corner the BJP over the leadership issues in its Delhi unit questioning it over its Delhi CM face.

The Assembly polls for 70 seats in Delhi are expected to be soon announced by the Election Commission.

"Our top leadership has made up mind to declare a party leader as Chief Ministerial face for the Assembly elections in Delhi. The decision is likely to be made public in first week of January," said a senior BJP leader.

The names of senior Delhi BJP leaders including party's city unit president Manoj Tiwari, former Union minister Vijay Goel, Leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta, among others, have been doing the rounds as possible candidates for the post of chief minister, if the party wins the Assembly polls.

Last month, Delhi BJP's co-incharge for Assembly polls and Union minister Hardeep Puri had said the party will contest elections under the leadership of Tiwari and ensure that he becomes the chief minister. Puri, however, quickly withdrew his statement.

The top BJP leadership has so far remained silent over the question of its chief ministerial face for the Delhi polls.

Delhi Chief Minister and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal has asserted that his party will better its performance by winning more than 67 seats it grabbed in 2015 Assembly elections.

The BJP lost power in Delhi in 1998. It suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of AAP and managed to win just three seats in previous Assembly elections in Delhi in 2015. The saffron party is trying to come back to power in Delhi after over two decades.