The AAP on Monday targeted the BJP over its delay in naming the chief minister of Delhi, saying the saffron party did not have "capable candidates" to run the national capital.
AAP leader and acting chief minister Atishi said, “It’s been around ten days now since election results were announced, but the BJP has not come up with a CM face yet.”
Referring to the 48 elected candidates, Atishi questioned whether the BJP does not trust any of its elected representatives and slammed the party for its “poor vision and unplanned governance”.
Her statement came after the BJP rescheduled a meeting to announce the chief minister. The oath-taking ceremony, which was originally scheduled for February 18, has now been postponed to February 20. A meeting is set for February 19 to decide the chief ministerial position.
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AAP’s national spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar, too, questioned the delay. “Due to BJP’s internal rifts, why should the Delhi public suffer?,” Kakkar said.
She wondered if BJP is taking such a long time to merely choose a name, how efficiently they will make decisions for the citizens.
Atishi pointed out that several areas in Delhi—including Uttam Nagar, Nevada, Sangam Vihar, Burari, and Trilokpuri—have experienced power cuts. She also criticized Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena’s directive of the Yamuna-clean up project.
“When it's about the Yamuna project, they claim all the credit; but, when it’s about power cuts—they hand over the blame to AAP and say Atishi is the caretaker.”
The BJP had not presented a CM face during the campaign. But that did not stop the party from pulling off a massive win in the elections.
The barbs from the opponents, however, continued with AAP member Sanjay Singh even comparing the party’s approach to a “baraat without a groom.”
As speculation continues over who will be the BJP’s CM choice, a few popular, ‘potential’ names have done the rounds in the last few days. Parvesh Verma (from New Delhi constituency who defeated AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal), Vijender Gupta (from Rohini), Satish Upadhyay (from Malviya Nagar), Rekha Gupta (from Shalimar Bagh) and Ashish Sood (from Janakpuri) to name only a few. Ramesh Bidhuri—whose name was floating around after Kejriwal’s remark of Bidhuri being elected as Delhi CM—denied any such claims.
The Delhi CM oath taking ceremony is expected to be a grand event with thousands of people—including saints, political leaders, diplomats, and others—expected to attend.
The BJP won 48 seats in the assembly elections while AAP secured 22, leaving the Congress party without a single seat. It was after a gap of 27 years that the saffron party is returning to power in the national capital.