Who will be BJP's Delhi CM?
Senior party leader Harsh Vardhan had been the party's pick for the chair in the run-up to the 2013 Assembly elections, in which the BJP had missed the majority mark by all of five seats.
The question of who the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will make the chief minister of Delhi has kicked off heated speculation even as the party remains mum on whether it has been invited to form the government.
Senior party leader Harsh Vardhan had been the party's pick for the chair in the run-up to the 2013 Assembly elections, in which the BJP had missed the majority mark by all of five seats. But the doctor-politician has since been made a Union minister and the field is now open for other contenders to step in.
Former state finance minister and seven-time MLA Jagdish Mukhi has emerged as the frontrunner for the crown. However, when asked about the reports, the 74-year-old leader dismissed them as the result of a "misunderstanding"."There has clearly been some misunderstanding," he said, "I have not been informed of any such development and this will be decided upon by the senior leadership."
Another leading candidate is New Delhi MP Meenakshi Lekhi, who has made no secret of her chief ministerial ambitions. The 46-year-old has set up two Facebook pages, titled 'Meenakshi Lekhi for Delhi Chief Minister' and 'Meenakshi Lekhi as Delhi Chief Minister', posting minute-by-minute updates on the former about her each and every interaction and appointment in the Capital.
Speculation
Though Lekhi has been retained as one of the BJP's spokespersons under the leadership of chief Amit Shah, the fact that she has not been given either a Cabinet portfolio or a pivotal post in the party is being interpreted as a sign that the BJP sees a potential chief ministerial candidate in her.
There are three other people who have been touted as contenders with varying degrees of conviction. Among them is former Indian Police Officer Kiran Bedi, a social activist who has of late exhibited an inclination towards the BJP. Speculation that the party might be considering her as a viable CM candidate began with a tweet this April from a parody account of former BJP chief Nitin Gadkari saying she will be fielded against AAP's Arvind Kejriwal. Bedi has since gone on record to say she would accept the CM's chair if the BJP were to make the offer. Party sources, however, say anointing her the CM is a long shot. "Bedi has to first be formally inducted into the party and taught the ropes before being offered any such post," a source said.
Delhi BJP president Vijender Gupta is also a likely candidate, but could lose his chance owing to the fact that he is not an MLA. Likewise, BJP's Badarpur MLA Rambir Singh Bidhuri and South Delhi MP Ramesh Bidhuri may also be in the reckoning.
'Premature'
Meanwhile, Delhi BJP president Satish Upadhyay refused to acknowledge the party was carrying out any discussion on CM candidates. "We are still waiting for the Lieutenant-Governor's invite. Till we get that, it would be premature to discuss the matter of a probable CM candidate. We need to critically analyse our chances and only then can we take a decision on government formation and the CM candidate," he said.
Party sources added that a final decision on who will be named the BJP's CM candidate is likely to be taken at a meeting of the newly-constituted BJP Parliamentary Board that may be convened early next week.
In a related development, BJP chief Amit Shah on Saturday said it would "not be immoral" for the party to seek support from other outfits to form a government in Delhi. "Our party got the mandate in the Assembly and Lok Sabha polls in Delhi, and we think that mandate stands," he added.
Meenakshi Lekhi
After defeating Congress stalwart Ajay Maken in the Lok Sabha elections to win the New Delhi constituency,Meenakshi Lekhi is busy positioning herself as the BJP's CM candidate.To this end, Lekhi has set up two groups on social media site Facebook - 'Meenakshi Lekhi for Delhi Chief Minister' and 'Meenakshi Lekhi as Delhi Chief Minister'. Lekhi regularly updates the 'Meenakshi Lekhi for Delhi Chief Minister' account with minute-by-minute posts on her interactions and appointments in the Capital.
Jagdish Mukhi
Senior BJP leader Jagdish Mukhi has emerged as the frontrunner for the chief minister's post if the party does agree to the Lieutenant-Governor's invitation to form the government in Delhi. The 74-year-old veteran politician and former Delhi finance minister is an MLA from Janakpuri and has won seven consecutive terms to the Assembly.Sources in the party say there is a consensus among party leaders on making him the CM.Mukhi, however, dismisses the claims as "mere speculation" resulting from an "obvious misunderstanding".
Kiran Bedi
The former IPS officer, though not a strong contender, has gone on record to say she would not mind accepting the CM's chair should the BJP make the offer. Speculation to this effect began in April following a tweet attributed to former BJP chiefNitin Gadkari - later discovered to be from a parody account - saying the party will field Bedi against AAP's Arvind Kejriwal. Once known to be apolitical, Bedi began to show an inclination towards the BJP ahead of the 2013 Delhi Assembly elections
Rambir Singh Bidhuri
Badarpur MLA Rambir Singh Bidhuri has repeatedly been named as one of Delhi BJP's top bets for the chief minister's chair if the party does indeed form the government
Vijender Gupta
Former Delhi BJP president Vijender Gupta was once seen as one of the party's strongest candidates for the post.Gupta, who was fielded by the party against former CM Sheila Dikshit in last year's Assembly Polls, lost to AAP's Arvind Kejriwal. This very fact, that Gupta is no longer an MLA, could cost him his shot at the CM's chair.