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The BJP has decisively secured a massive victory in the Delhi Elections 2025. Now, the party faces the dilemma of selecting its Chief Minister (CM). According to party sources, balancing gender, caste, community, and experience will be key to the decision-making process. Following the announcement of the final list of candidates in January, discussions about potential CM candidates began. These discussions coincided with the start of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s public rallies in Delhi at the end of the month.
Currently, there are speculations about who could be chosen from the BJP’s seven Members of Parliament (MPs) or one of its newly elected lawmakers with a significant margin of victory. There’s also a possibility of choosing a female leader.
While there are many possibilities, the BJP might also consider prominent OBC (Other Backward Class) faces for the CM position. One senior leader mentioned the potential of newly elected lawmakers like Parvesh Verma, a former MP from West Delhi who defeated Arvind Kejriwal and is believed to have been personally chosen by PM Modi to challenge the Delhi CM. The names of party veterans, such as former Delhi unit Presidents Vijender Gupta (who won with a margin of nearly 38,000 votes) and Satish Upadhyay (who won by a margin of just over 2,100 votes), are also being discussed.
Two Deputy CM to be named
Sources have suggested that, in addition to the CM, there may be more than one Deputy CM. MPs from Delhi, including East Delhi’s Harsh Malhotra, Northeast Delhi’s Manoj Tiwari, and New Delhi’s Bansuri Swaraj, are reportedly in the running.
Candidates such as Rekha Gupta, who won from Shalimar Bagh with a margin of around 30,000 votes, and Shikha Rai, who defeated AAP’s Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj by over 3,100 votes, are also being considered. However, some party leaders have cautioned that these are just initial names being floated, and ultimately, the final CM candidate might come as a surprise, similar to what happened in Madhya Pradesh and Haryana.
Sources also suggest that the BJP will evaluate a variety of factors, such as caste-based voting patterns, when finalizing their choice. Speculation is rife over a dual Deputy CM structure for Delhi, akin to arrangements in states like Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh, as the BJP seeks to balance caste equations within the city.
The Delhi BJP’s success has largely been driven by votes from communities such as Punjabis, Dalits, Vaishyas, Jats, and Sikhs. Consequently, the names of legislators from these groups are being closely examined for the CM and Deputy CM positions. Some leaders believe that Delhi could see one CM and two Deputy CMs, with key positions like the Speaker of the Assembly being offered to representatives of these communities.
One of the most prominent claims comes from Parvesh Verma, who famously defeated Arvind Kejriwal in the elections. Verma, son of former Delhi CM Sahib Singh Verma, represents the Jat community in Delhi, and his victory has been significant for the BJP.
Sikh leaders like Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Tarvinder Singh Marwah, and Arvinder Singh Lovely, who all won their respective seats, are also in the mix. Among them, Manjinder Singh Sirsa is considered a strong contender, especially given the party’s desire to send a message to Punjab as well.
With elections due in Bihar later this year, the BJP is also keen to recognize the growing influence of Purvanchali leaders, with Manoj Tiwari being the most notable name. Tiwari has won three consecutive Lok Sabha elections from Delhi and is seen as a powerful voice of the Purvanchali community.
To maintain strong ties with Delhi’s Punjabi community, the name of Ashish Sood, a close associate of Home Minister Amit Shah and a key figure in Jammu & Kashmir, is also under discussion. Additionally, Karnail Singh, a close confidant of RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat and PM Modi, is being considered for a prominent position. Karnail Singh has had a long association with the BJP in the US, and it was PM Modi who brought him to Delhi to contest elections.
The Vaishya community, which has historically been a strong BJP support base in Delhi, is also in focus. Among Vaishya leaders, Vijender Gupta, who has a strong following, is considered one of the top contenders for a significant role in the new government.
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