BJP to announce Delhi's new CM today, PM Modi to attend key meeting

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is set to announce Delhi’s new chief minister by today (February 19) evening, marking the party’s return to power in the national capital after almost 30 years. The decision will be made following a meeting of the BJP’s Parliamentary Board at noon, during which key observers for the selection process will be appointed, according to a report by NDTV quoting sources.

 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose recent official visit to France and the United States led to a delay in the selection, is expected to attend the meeting at the BJP headquarters in Delhi.  

 

 

Delhi CM selection and oath-taking ceremony

 

The newly elected BJP legislators will convene at 6:15 pm to elect their leader, who will assume the role of chief minister. The swearing-in ceremony is scheduled for Thursday at 11 am at Ramlila Maidan.

 

According to reports, three separate stages will be set up for the event. The first will be designated for PM Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena, and the incoming chief minister. The second will host religious leaders, while the third will accommodate MPs and MLAs, including over 200 invitees from the BJP and its allies.  

 

Among the invited guests are outgoing Chief Minister Atishi and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal, along with Delhi Congress chief Devender Yadav.

 

Suspense over Delhi’s new CM

 

Parvesh Verma, a two-time former MP who defeated Arvind Kejriwal in the New Delhi constituency, is considered a frontrunner for the top post. Other potential contenders include Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva and Bansuri Swaraj, a first-time MP and daughter of former Chief Minister Sushma Swaraj. Another name in the mix is Satish Upadhyay, a key BJP leader representing the Brahmin community in Delhi.  

 

Speculation is also rife that the BJP may appoint a woman as chief minister. Four of the party’s newly elected MLAs are women — Neelam Pahalwan, Rekha Gupta, Poonam Sharma, and Shikha Roy. Pahalwan became the first woman MLA from Najafgarh, Gupta is a former president of the Delhi University Students’ Union, Sharma won from Wazirpur, and Roy pulled off a significant upset by defeating senior AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj in Greater Kailash.  

 

Caste dynamics are also expected to influence the BJP’s decision, as the party has historically factored social representation into its leadership choices. Similar deliberations were seen after the party’s victories in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan in 2023. Among the newly elected MLAs, four belong to Scheduled Castes — Raj Kumar Chauhan (Mangolpuri), Ravikant Ujjain (Trilokpuri), Ravinder Indraj Singh (Bawana), and Kailash Gangwal (Madipur).   

Also Read: Delhi CM oath-taking ceremony

 

BJP’s resurgence in Delhi

 

The suspense over Delhi’s next CM has been mounting since February 8, when BJP made a dramatic comeback in the capital. The party, which had been out of power for 27 years — first losing to the Congress and then to the AAP — secured a commanding victory by winning 48 of the 70 Assembly seats.

 

This marked a significant turnaround for the BJP, which had managed only 11 seats in the previous two elections combined. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), seeking a third consecutive term, suffered a major setback, securing just 22 seats.

 

The party’s campaign was overshadowed by allegations against Arvind Kejriwal, particularly over controversies surrounding his official residence, dubbed the ‘Sheeshmahal,’ and the liquor excise policy. Meanwhile, the Congress faced another electoral rout, failing to regain any significant presence in the Delhi Assembly.