Speculation is rife in the capital that ‘Giant Killer’ Pravesh Verma could become Delhi’s next Chief Minister. Before elections, the BJP usually does not announce a CM candidate, and Delhi was no exception. Even after today’s massive victory, the party has yet to declare its pick for the post. However, after pulling off a major upset by defeating Arvind Kejriwal, discussions have intensified about Pravesh Verma potentially taking over as Delhi’s new Chief Minister.
Pravesh Verma is not new to politics—he entered the political arena as an heir to his father, former Delhi Chief Minister Sahib Singh Verma. In 2013, he was elected as a BJP MLA from Mehrauli. Later, in 2014, he won the West Delhi Lok Sabha seat as an MP. He retained the seat in 2019 with a massive victory margin of 5.78 lakh votes. However, in 2024, the BJP did not field him for the Lok Sabha elections.
During the anti-CAA protests, Pravesh Verma had sparked controversy by calling the Shaheen Bagh protestors a “threat to Delhi” and claiming that the Muslim demonstrators would enter Hindu households and assault women. Despite the backlash, BJP fielded him against Kejriwal in New Delhi constituency just two months ago, and he successfully pulled off a stunning victory against the AAP chief. This has fueled speculation that Pravesh Verma might be the next Chief Minister of Delhi.
Apart from Verma, senior BJP leader Vijender Gupta is also being discussed as a potential CM candidate. Even when AAP was dominant in Delhi, he won the Rohini seat in both 2015 and 2020. Other names in contention include Satish Upadhyay, Ashish Sood, and Jitender Mahajan.