Who will be next Delhi CM? Caste, RSS & other key factors that will influence BJP’s decision

 Who will be next Delhi CM? With the BJP's victory in Delhi, the party faces the crucial task of selecting its first CM in nearly three decades. Factors such as caste dynamics, community support, and key contenders like Parvesh Verma and Vijender Gupta will influence this pivotal decision.

Gulam Jeelani, Mint, 10 Feb 2025 : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is all set to form the next government in Delhi after winning 48 seats in the 70-member Delhi assembly. This will be first time in about 27 years that the saffron party will have a chief minister in the national capital. The last BJP CM of Delhi was the late Sushma Swaraj in 1998.

The BJP had not declared a CM face for Delhi Assembly elections 2025. Delhi BJP Chief, Virendra Sachdeva, said that the party’s central leadership, which includes Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, will take a decision.

A delegation of the BJP’s winning candidates in the capital, led by Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva, met Lieutenant Governor (L-G) VK Saxena on Sunday.

The saffron party is considering several factors to pick its choice for the Delhi CM's post. Reports suggest that caste will play a role in the decision likely to be taken this week with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), and the BJP is expected to go into a huddle.

“The RSS 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 was quoted as saying in a report by The Indian Express

Apart from Chief Minister, the party is also expected to finalise names for a potential Deputy CM, the Speaker of the Delhi Assembly, and seven ministers in the cabinet.

The communities which contributed to BJP’s victory in Delhi included Brahmins, Jats, Punjabis. The party will keep these communities in mind, according to sources.

Having a BJP CM in Delhi would also mean that all three key states of National Capital Region (NCR) – Haryana , UP and Delhi – will have a BJP leader at the helm first time in decades. Even PM Modi mentioned this achievement for BJP in his victory speech on the results day.

The BJP has a Brahmin face in Rajasthan, an OBC face in Haryana and a Thakur face in Uttar Pradesh. Delhi CM pick is expected to reflect the party’s balancing act in terms of caste. Some reports suggested that a Jat leader might emerge as CM of Delhi.

The party is likely to appoint two observers for the process of picking Delhi CM, following a meeting of its 11-member Parliamentary Board led by national President JP Nadda this week.

Names doing rounds for the top post include Parvesh Verma, a Jat leader who emerged as a giant killer by defeating former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal from New Delhi seat in the elections.

Vijender Gupta from Baniya community who won from Rohini, Arvinder Singh Lovely who won from Gandhi Nagar; Raj Kumar Chauhan, a Dalit leader who won from Mangol Puri, Shikha Roy, a Thakur, who defeated AAP minister Saurabh Bharadwaj from Greater Kailash and Satish Upadhyay, a Brahmin, who defeated Somnath Bharti from Malviya Nagar, are among the other top contenders for Chief Ministeral post.

The BJP wrested power dislodging the AAP, which ruled Delhi for 11 years. The saffron party is getting a shot at power in Delhi after 27 years.