Delhi CM race heats up: Parvesh Verma, Ramesh Bidhuri, or Manoj Tiwari – Who will be BJP's pick?

Delhi election result 2025: BJP is set to form the government in Delhi after securing a historic victory in the assembly elections, winning 48 seats and marking its return to power in the national capital after 27 years. Now, attention turns to who will be the BJP's chief ministerial face. 

BJP leader Virendraa Sachdeva stated that the party's CM face would be decided by the “central leadership”.

Addressing the question of "BJP ka dulha kaun" (who is BJP's groom?), a jibe used by the AAP to criticise the BJP for not declaring a CM candidate, Sachdeva responded, “Central leadership will decide (CM's face). This issue doesn't matter much to us. Those (AAP) who betray people, the people will treat them like this (defeat) only”.

Potential BJP CM candidates include:

Parvesh Verma

Son of former Delhi CM Sahib Singh Verma contested the New Delhi seat against AAP's Arvind Kejriwal. Verma defeated Aam Aadmi Party national convenor from the constituency on Saturday, February 8.

Ramesh Bidhuri

The AAP had declared Bidhuri as BJP's CM face and invited him for a debate during poll campaigns, only to draw BJP's flack, who said that the party's CM face was yet to be decided. Bidhuri is contesting from theKalkaji seat against Delhi CM Atishi.

“Sab Bakwas hain,” Bidhuri told reporters earlier today when asked if he is the CM face for the BJP, adding, “We are here to serve public, not for any position like CM”.

Ramesh Bidhuri, a BJP's prominent leader in Delhi, was defeated by Chief Minister Atishi from the Kalkaji seat. She won the seat by a margin of 3,521 votes.

Manoj Tiwari 

BJP leader Manoj Tiwari also seems to be a BJP CM pick. Talking to reporters, Manoj Tiwari expressed confidence and targeted the AAP, alleging corruption and inaction. Tiwari claimed that AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal is facing the “curse of the Yamuna”. He promised to clean the Yamuna River in three years if the BJP wins.

Kailash Gahlot 

Contesting from Bijwasan, Gahlot is another possible BJP CM candidate. Kailash Gahlot, a former Delhi minister and prominent AAP leader, made a high-profile switch to the BJP months before the elections. He secured a victory in the Bijwasan seat, defeating AAP's Surender Bharadwaj by a margin of 11,276 votes

Kapil Mishra 

Kapil Mishra contested from Karawal Nagar. He triumphed with a massive win, defeating AAP’s Manoj Kumar Tyagi by 23,355 votes.

Arvinder Singh Lovely 

A former Delhi Congress president, Lovely switched to the BJP before the Delhi election and contested from the Gandhi Nagar seat, winning 56858 votes.

Vijender Gupta 

The senior BJP leader is a strong contender for the chief ministerial post if the party secures victory in Delhi. A former Delhi BJP chief, he has consistently held the Rohini seat, winning in both 2015 and 2020 despite AAP's dominance. Gupta also served as leader of the opposition in the Delhi assembly, with his experience and resilience making him a key figure in the party’s leadership calculations. Gupta earned 70,365 votes, while AAP's Pradeep Mittal has got 32,549 votes. 

BJP secures historic win in Delhi, returns to power after 27 years

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured 48 seats in a historic mandate, reclaiming power in Delhi after 27 years. Several prominent Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders, including former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, lost in their traditional strongholds, though Chief Minister Atishi successfully retained her seat.

This victory comes just months after the BJP-led coalition’s sweeping success in Maharashtra and its win in Haryana.

PM Modi declares NDA as 'Vikas ki Guarantee' following BJP's victory in Delhi Assembly Elections

Following the BJP's victory in the Delhi Assembly elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday stated that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is synonymous with 'Vikas ki Guarantee' (guarantee for development) and good governance.

"NDA means 'Vikas ki Guarantee' and 'guarantee of good governance,'" PM Modi said while addressing a gathering at the BJP headquarters.