Delhi CM announcement: Delhi's wait for a new Chief Minister after the Assembly elections is set to end on Wednesday, as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Legislature Party is set to elect its Leader of the House. Meanwhile, preparations for the February 20 oath-taking ceremony are in full swing at the historic Ramlila Ground in the national capital. On Tuesday evening, BJP leaders Tarun Chugh and Vinod Tavde, in charge of the swearing-in ceremony, and Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva met Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena.
According to party leaders, the Chief Minister and the entire Cabinet will take oath in a grand ceremony, which will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union ministers, and other dignitaries. A massive crowd is expected at the event, with sources revealing that around 40 celebrities have also been invited. The swearing-in ceremony, earlier scheduled for 4:30 pm, will now take place around noon, as per news agency PTI.
Preparations are in full swing at Ramlila Maidan
BJP MP Yogender Chandolia confirmed that preparations at Ramlila Maidan are in full swing, with arrangements being made for the large-scale event. "Around 50,000 people, including party workers, RWA, sections of society and saints, will be invited. It will be a grand event in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Cabinet ministers will be present. It will last around 25-30 minutes," the Northwest Delhi MP said.
The newly-elected BJP legislature party will meet at the party's Delhi unit office to elect the Leader of the House in the Delhi Assembly on Wednesday. The meeting is expected to be held in the evening, party leaders said.
The Ramleela Ground and surrounding areas, including roads, pavements and medians, were cleaned and freshly painted. Party leaders said around one lakh people are expected to throng the whole area as there was a lot of enthusiasm among residents over the BJP forming its government in Delhi after more than 26 years, party leaders said.
Dignitaries to attend oath ceremony
The venue will have three stages with dignitaries, including the prime minister, Delhi LG VK Saxena, BJP President JP Nadda, the new chief minister and members of his or her Cabinet seated at the central stage. It will be flanked by the two stages on which other dignitaries, including Union ministers, politicians, Chief Ministers of other states will be seated. Officials said that as per protocol, outgoing Delhi Chief Minister Atishi and her predecessor and three-time Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will also be invited to the oath ceremony.
Contenders for Delhi CM post
The names doing the rounds for the new Chief Minister include Parvesh Verma, who defeated Kejriwal; former Delhi BJP presidents Vijender Gupta and Satish Upadhyay; and other leaders such as Pawan Sharma, Ashish Sood, Rekha Gupta, and Shikha Rai. The names of Ravinder Indraj Singh, the MLA from Bawana (SC) seat, and Kailash Gangwal, who won the Madipur (SC) seat for the BJP for the first time, are also being discussed. Many within the party believe that the BJP leadership could choose a "dark horse" as Delhi's next chief minister, a strategy the party opted for in Rajasthan, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh.
(With inputs from PTI)