BJP's “giant killer” Parvesh Verma on Sunday said he will complete “unfinished work” of his father, a day after defeating AAP National Convenor and former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. Verma is the son of former Delhi chief minister Sahib Singh Verma.
Verma was speaking while visiting his ancestral village Gherva in Mundka where he paid homage to his late father at the Dr Sahib Singh Verma Samadhi Sthal. He defeated AAP chief Kejriwal by 4,089 votes in New Delhi assembly constituency.
Revamping Yamuna is top priority
The BJP leader, who is among the frontrunners to become the next Delhi chief minister, said his top priority will be to develop the Yamuna river front. BJP is preparing to form government in Delhi after a hiatus of 27 years. The swearing-in ceremony is expected to take place once Prime Minister Narendra Modi returns from his foreign trip.
Verma told reporters on Sunday that AAP government led by Atishi and Kejriwal had neglected Delhi rural areas. “The roads are in a bad condition,” he said.
Thanking the people who voted for him and the BJP top brass, Verma said, "With the blessings of the people of Delhi and the efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we will work towards building a beautiful Delhi that takes care of all sections of society".
Other BJP candidates who are seen as top contenders include former BJP Delhi unit presidents Satish Upadhyay and Vijender Gupta, former state general secretary (organisation) Pawan Sharma and senior leader Ashish Sood who is currently party's in-charge for Goa.
Upadhyay defeated AAP leader Somnath Bharti by 2,131 votes. He has close ties with the RSS and is the former New Delhi Municipal Council vice-chairman. He is also co-in-charge for BJP unit in Madhya Pradesh.
Gupta was the leader of opposition in the previous assembly and is a third-time MLA from Rohini. He won by 37,817 votes this time.
Sharma, currently BJP co-in-charge for its Assam unit, won by 29,740 votes in Uttam Nagar.
Sood won from Janakpuri by 18,766 votes and has experience in leading the party in the South Delhi Municipal Corporation. He is also BJP's co-in-charge for Jammu and Kashmir.
