Former IPS officer Kiran Bedi with BJP President Amit Shah at the party headquarters in Delhi.
New Delhi:
The BJP is yet to release its first list of candidates for the Delhi assembly polls, which is about three weeks away. In fact, former top cop Kiran Bedi, who was formally inducted into the party on Thursday afternoon, become the only one to be officially named as a candidate so far.
"She will contest the elections in Delhi, that's all I can tell you," said BJP President Amit Shah, addressing a huge gathering of journalists as he welcomed the party's newest entrant. He was quick to add, "The seat has not been decided".
The elections are due on February 7, but the deadline is not worrying the BJP.
Prabhat Jha, Delhi in-charge of the BJP, told NDTV, "Let me give you an analogy. No one goes on their honeymoon before the wedding. Elections have been announced, there is a process we have to follow. This is a party that wants to form the government; it is not a one-man show like some others."
Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party, meanwhile, seems to have the biggest head start over the other two parties in the race for the 70-member Delhi Assembly.
The party released its list weeks before the election dates were announced and candidates have already hit the campaign trail.
On Thursday, the Congress party released its third list of candidates; President Pranab Mukherjee's daughter Sharmishta is among the 15 names on it. She will contest from Greater Kailash constituency in south Delhi. The Congress has announced a total of 64 candidates.
The BJP, incidentally, announced its election committee a day after the poll dates were announced. The name of the candidates will have to be endorsed by the party's Parliamentary Board, so it could be a couple of days before the list of candidates from the BJP becomes official.