BJP to announce Delhi's CM today
What's the story
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will announce the new chief minister of Delhi on Wednesday, after a meeting of the BJP legislature party.
The announcement comes after the party's recent win over the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the assembly elections, marking their return to power in Delhi after 27 years.
The swearing-in ceremony will take place on Thursday at Ramlila Maidan, according to Virendra Sachdeva, chief of the Delhi BJP unit.
Guest list
Swearing-in ceremony to be attended by top NDA leaders
The swearing-in ceremony is likely to be a grand affair with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other top leaders of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in attendance.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and CMs of NDA-ruled states are among the invitees according to BJP sources.
Bollywood celebrities, prominent businesspersons, and community leaders from Delhi's slum clusters have also been invited.
Event details
Ceremony preparations underway, over 25K attendees expected
The swearing-in ceremony at Ramlila Maidan is expected to draw 25,000 to 30,000 people. Preparations for the event have already begun with tents being erected and boundary walls painted.
The oath-taking for the Chief Minister and six ministers will take place at 4:30pm on Thursday.
The event may be themed like last year's Ram Mandir consecration in Ayodhya, with a performance by Kailash Kher scheduled for the event.
CM candidates
Speculation surrounds selection of Delhi's next Chief Minister
The race for Delhi's next chief minister has fueled speculation with a number of names in the fray.
Among the probable candidates are Parvesh Verma—who defeated Arvind Kejriwal in the New Delhi constituency—Rekha Gupta, Vijender Gupta, Satish Upadhyay, Ashish Sood, Pawan Sharma, and Ajay Mahawar.
The new cabinet is likely to have representation from Jat, Dalit, Purvanchali, Sikh, Baniyas, and Uttarakhand migrants.
Political momentum
BJP's victory in Delhi follows recent electoral successes
The BJP's Delhi win is especially important as it comes on the heels of their recent wins in Haryana and Maharashtra.
The win has further strengthened the party's political momentum after it was perceived to have suffered a setback in the 2024 general elections.
Late Delhi CM Sushma Swaraj led the last BJP government there.
Since then, the Congress has held power for 15 years until 2013, followed by the AAP government's two terms from 2015 to 2025.