As majority exit polls predict the comeback of BJP in Delhi after 27 years, the party's top leadership is buoyed, attributing the potential win to the good governance by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. While six exit polls forecast a clean sweep by the BJP, two favoured Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP. Two others predict a close contest between AAP and BJP with the latter having an edge.
BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva has reacted to the polls, stating that the party's victory will be bigger than what the exit polls showed. The euphoric mood in the BJP camp has also posed questions about the next Chief Minister of Delhi.
Sachdeva, who refused to name anyone, said the party would follow the pattern it followed in other states where Assembly elections were held recently. "The BJP contested elections in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Haryana and Maharashtra and it was our central leadership who decided the Chief Minister. Delhi too will follow the same pattern with the party workers taking final responsibility for selecting a person for the job," Sachdeva told NDTV India.
Though Sachdeva didn't take any names, local reports hint at a few names in the race for the top post. They include BJP national secretary and former MLA Manjinder Singh Sirsa, former AAP Minister who joined BJP recently Kailash Gehlot and BJP's Rohini MLA Vijender Gupta.
Sirsa, the BJP candidate from Rajouri Garden, is the Sikh face of the party in Delhi. A former member of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), Sirsa won the seat when SAD was an NDA ally. He switched to BJP in 2021 and since then his stature inside the party has been on the rise. Sources say he is an ideal candidate as the party wants the Delhi CM to work closely with Punjab.
Though Kailash Gehlot's name is doing the rounds, it is unsure how someone who switched from AAP recently would be the central leadership's choice. The former Home Minister of Delhi in the AAP, joined BJP last November. Gehlot hails from the Jat community, which holds sway in many areas of Delhi, and selecting him will go well with the Jats.
Gehlot can also be a weapon for the BJP to counter AAP.
Vijender Gupta is a senior face in the BJP and has been instrumental in countering Kejriwal. He also has a strong base within the party.