Caste will be a “significant” criterion as far as choosing the Capital’s first BJP Chief Minister in close to three decades is concerned, with developments in this regard expected over the coming week, according to party sources.
In the midst of an organisational rejig – with a new national president in place of J P Nadda and a new team at the national level expected soon – the top brass of the RSS and BJP is expected to go into a huddle to chalk the way forward over the coming days, insiders said.
“The RSS, whose role is limited to an advisory one when it comes to CM choice, will make suggestions based on several factors, including the support extended to the BJP by voters from a particular caste or community,” a senior BJP leader said.
The talks will include names for significant posts including, besides the CM, a potential Deputy CM, the Speaker of the Delhi Assembly, and the composition of the Council of Ministers, which can include seven members.
“Brahmin votes, for instance, have contributed to the BJP’s victory in Delhi, so, the community will certainly be accommodated in some significant post or another. The same is the case with Jat and Punjabi voters, and so the CM and Deputy CM could be from these communities as well,” a party source said.
According to another senior leader, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying in his victory speech Saturday that all three states which constitute the National Capital Region – Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh – now have BJP governments, and promising a boost to infrastructure projects, the decision regarding the CM may seek to enforce that message.
“The party already has Brahmin CMs, for instance, in Rajasthan and Maharashtra, an OBC in Haryana and a Kshatriya in Uttar Pradesh (the latter two being states that include NCR areas). A balance of caste and community will be required,” the leader said, adding that a Jat leader may emerge as the final Delhi CM face given the dearth of the community in prominent positions in the BJP. (In Haryana, the BJP had broken from tradition in picking a non-Jat leader as CM.)
The leader said that the other criteria that would matter would be “leaders with a clean image as far as the RSS’s recommendation is concerned”, “an age cut-off of 55”, and “organisational experience”. “At least one woman leader is likely to be picked for a significant post in the government or the Assembly.”
Sources said the top contenders include Parvesh Sahib Singh (a Jat leader), who won from New Delhi, defeating Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal; Vijender Gupta (belonging to the Baniya community), Rohini; Pawan Sharma (a Brahmin), Uttam Nagar; Sikh face and former Congress minister Arvinder Singh Lovely, Gandhi Nagar; Raj Kumar Chauhan (a Dalit), also a former Congress minister, Mangol Puri; Rekha Gupta (a Baniya), Shalimar Bagh; Shikha Roy (a Thakur), who pulled off an upset win in Greater Kailash against Saurabh Bharadawaj; Harish Khurana (a Punjabi Khatri), Moti Nagar; Ajay Mahawar (a Baniya), Ghonda; Jitender Mahajan (a Baniya), Rohtas Nagar; and Satish Upadhyay (a Brahmin), another giant killer who defeated Somnath Bharti, Malviya Nagar.
“While leaders such as Parvesh tick several boxes, Pawan Sharma is also one of the frontrunners. Not only is he close to the RSS and has served as general secretary (organisation) in the Delhi BJP, he also has close ties with the older generation of the party leadership in Delhi,” a source said.
“Though the party will also seek to accommodate leaders with ties to the Purvanchali community, the BJP’s thrust on delivery in terms of governance puts leaders such as Lovely and Chauhan, former ministers in the Congress government, as well as Vijender Gupta, who has decades of municipal and legislative experience, in the fray, just like Rekha Gupta and Shikha Roy,” the source added.
Party sources said the BJP’s national leadership was likely to appoint two observers following a meeting of its 11-member Parliamentary Board led by Nadda this week, to take the process forward.
“The observers will interact with the incoming MLAs, then a meeting of the BJP Legislature Party will be called, where the CM pick will be revealed. This may take around a week since the Budget Session of Parliament is on till the 14th,” a source said.
According to different party sources, Parvesh Verma who defeated Arvind Kejriwal in the New Delhi seat and BJP Lok Sabha MP Manoj Tiwari are among the list of potential CM names. (Express photo by Praveen Khanna) 
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