BJP legislature party meeting to finalise CM candidate; swearing-in on February 20
New Delhi:The BJP which returned to power in New Delhi after 27 years is planning a grand oath-taking ceremony at the Ramlila Maidan on Thursday. While the party is set to unveil the name of its chief ministerial candidate on Wednesday, it has begun preparations for a major spectacle on February 20, wherein, besides Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Ministers of NDA-ruled states, spiritual leaders and film stars are expected to attend. There are indications that the new chief minister, along with six ministers, will be taking oath on Thursday.
Ahead of its Delhi power play, the BJP leaders visited Ramlila Maidan on Tuesday to take stock of the oath-ceremony preparations. After visiting the venue, BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh said that Lieutenant-Governor V.K. Saxena is overseeing the preparations. He said people from across the city have expressed their desire to attend the event, which is likely to take place on Thursday.
“The people of Delhi have blessed Modi, who is trusted by all citizens from Kashmir to Kanyakumari,” Chugh said. The Ramlila Maidan is being spruced up with its boundary walls receiving a fresh coat of paint. Workers were seen cleaning the sprawling ground as well as the pavements and roads around the ground.
A senior BJP leader said that the grand swearing-in ceremony is expected to be attended by about 80,000 residents. He added: “Saints, sages, celebrities and diplomats from various countries are also being invited to the ceremony”.
Ahead of Thursday’s swearing-in ceremony, the newly elected BJP legislators are set to meet on February 19 (Wednesday) at the party’s state unit office at Pandit Pant Marg to elect their leader, who will be the head of the Delhi government. On Tuesday, a meeting was held at the Delhi BJP office to discuss arrangements and fix responsibilities for the party leaders involved in the preparations and coordination of the oath ceremony.
The probables of the chief minister’s post include Rekha Gupta from the Shalimar Bagh constituency, Shikha Roy from Greater Kailash, Parvesh Verma (New Delhi), Manjinder Singh Sirsa (Rajouri Garden), Satish Upadhyay (Malviya Nagar), Vijender Gupta (Rohini), Ravindra Indraj Singh (Bawana) and Kailash Gangwal (Madipur), among others. Some top BJP leaders, however, said that the party could also spring up a surprise by naming a dark horse for the top post.
On the chief minister’s choice, several newly elected MLAs told this newspaper that they have left it to the discretion of Modi, who played a key role in the BJP’s historic victory in the Assembly elections. “Whosoever is chosen by Modi Ji as the chief minister of Delhi will be accepted by one and all. There are no ifs and buts about this. We all know we have won this poll only because of Modi Ji,” a newly-elected legislator said.
Echoing similar sentiments, another BJP MLA said, “It will be our duty to ensure that the person chosen for the CM’s chair gets full support from all the legislators. If the CM fails to deliver, people will start raising fingers towards our Modi Ji. And we will never, ever allow this to happen.”
The BJP returned to power in Delhi by sweeping the recent Assembly polls, the results of which were announced on February 8. The BJP trounced the AAP, ending its decade-long rule in the city, winning 48 seats in the 70-member House against 22 seats won by the Arvind Kejriwal-led party. The BJP’s victory was further sweetened by the fall of Kejriwal, who lost his own New Delhi seat to Verma.
