BJP to stake claim to form govt in Delhi on Feb 19, new CM to take oath on Feb 20

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Legislative Party meeting in Delhi is set to take place on February 19, according to BJP sources, adding that the new Chief Minister will take oath on February 20 at Ramlila Maidan.This comes amid BJP postponed its legislature party meeting scheduled for Monday to two days later.“The BJP Legislature Party meeting scheduled for tomorrow has been postponed. Now this meeting will be held on February 19. The swearing-in ceremony of the Chief Minister will also be held on February 20 instead of February 18,” a BJP source said.To oversee the arrangements of the event, BJP General Secretaries Vinod Tawde and Tarun Chugh have been appointed as in-charges.Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Ministers, NDA leaders, Union Ministers, industrialists from the corporate world, film stars, cricket players, saints and sages will also be present and attend the swearing-in ceremony, as per BJP sources.The ceremony will be a grand event with 12,000-16,000 residents of Delhi in attendance, along with saints, sages, and diplomats from various countries, the sources added.Several names are in the race for the position of Delhi CM, with the most prominent being Parvesh Verma.The BJP fielded Parvesh against AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal in New Delhi and became a key figure after defeating Kejriwal.Satish Upadhyay is another strong contender for the CM position. He has served as the Delhi BJP president and was also the president of the Delhi Youth Wing.The third name on the list is Ashish Sood, the Punjabi face of the BJP in Delhi. Jitendra Mahajan is also considered a potential candidate for the CM position.The fifth name in the running is Vijender Gupta. If the party opts for a female leader, former Delhi Mayor and first-time MLA Rekha Gupta could be a possibility.The BJP has secured power in the Delhi Assembly, winning 48 seats out of 70. This election was a direct contest between BJP and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). However, AAP could only secure 22 seats this time. Prominent AAP leaders like Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, Saurabh Bhardwaj, and Satyendra Jain could not taste victory this time.Voting for the Delhi Assembly elections took place on February 5, and the results were announced on February 8. (ANI)