Delhi CM suspense to end today? BJP MLAs to meet for electing leader| 10 points

Newly elected BJP MLAs are likely to meet today to elect the legislative party leader, who will take oath as chief minister tomorrow.

The much-anticipated decision regarding who will be the next chief minister of Delhi is likely to be taken on Wednesday during a meeting of the newly-elected BJP MLAs' ahead of the oath-taking ceremony in Ramlila Maidan on February 20.

Virendra Sachdeva, President of Delhi BJP, along with other senior BJP leaders, inspected the preparations for the upcoming oath ceremony of Delhi's Chief Minister at Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi, India, on Tuesday, February 18, 2025.(Photo by Sanchit Khanna/ Hindustan Times)

Track live updates here: Delhi new CM announcement: Crucial BJP legislators meet to pick leader

The Bharatiya Janata Party is set to form the government in the national capital after 27 years, following their decisive victory in the Delhi assembly elections. The BJP won 48 seats out of 70 seats, defeating the incumbent Aam Admi Party.

Opposition parties have criticised the BJP over a "delay" in the formation of the new government.

Here are some key updates regarding the announcement of the Delhi chief minister.

1. The next chief minister of Delhi, along with the council of ministers, is likely to take oath at the Ramlila Maidan around 4.30 pm on Thursday.
2. The newly elected Delhi BJP MLAs are also likely to meet today at the Delhi BJP state office to decide the CM candidate. All BJP MLAs have been notified of the meeting, party sources told news agency ANI.
3. Ahead of the grand oath-taking ceremony at the Ramlila Maidan, speculation surrounding the next chief minister of Delhi continues. Newly-elected MLAs such as Parvesh Verma, who defeated AAP's Arvind Kejriwal, as well as Delhi BJP presidents Vijender Gupta and Satish Upadhyay are in the running. Reports have suggested that the party may also choose a woman MLA as CM.
4. Preparations for the chief minister's oath-taking are in full swing, under the charge of BJP leaders Tarun Chugh and Vinod Tawde. BJP MP Yogender Chandolia stated that the ceremony was special since the party was forming a government in Delhi after 27 years.
5. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Union cabinet as well as chief ministers of states where BJP is in power, will be present during the ceremony. “The people of Delhi have given the mandate to Narendra Modi,” said MP Chandolia.
6. Security arrangements for the high-profile event include the deployment of 5,000 security personnel, along with emergency response teams, SWAT teams and PCR vans. Paramilitary forces will be conducting anti-sabotage checks and managing traffic throughout the day.
7. The Aam Admi Party had alleged earlier that the delay in naming a chief ministerial candidate had been due to an internal conflict within the BJP. AAP's chief spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar had also claimed that governance in the national capital, including power cuts in the city, were due to the negative effects of a lack of a CM.
8. Ahead of the swearing-in ceremony, Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva had announced that the new chief minister would not reside in the “Sheesh Mahal” — a name the BJP coined to indicate the 6, Flag Staff Road bungalow where former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal stayed.
9. Caretaker CM Atishi also accused the BJP of not having a vision or plan regarding the Delhi government."BJP cannot run the government in Delhi, Narendra Modi knows that not even one of his 48 MLAs can run the government. He can only loot the money of the people of Delhi," she remarked.
10. Virendra Sachdeva also criticised former Delhi chief minister Atishi, stating that her party was not willing to accept her as the leader of opposition in the state assembly. “Luckily, you have become the MLA, but even the people of your party are not ready to accept you as the leader of the opposition,” he claimed.