The Delhi Assembly election win in the bag, the Bharatiya Janata Party's focus will now shift to the next big question - who will the party pick as the next Chief Minister of Delhi?
The smart money, it appears, is on Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma, the 'giant slayer' who defeated Aam Aadmi Party boss Arvind Kejriwal in his New Delhi stronghold. Mr Verma eased to a comfortable win over a beleaguered Mr Kejriwal - by over 4,000 votes - to cement a miserable afternoon for the AAP.
And if that isn't reason enough to suggest the two-time former Lok Sabha MP get the top post, there is this - three of the last four Chief Ministers held the New Delhi seat. Mr Kejriwal won it in 2013, 2015, and 2020, and the Congress' Sheila Dikshit, his predecessor, claimed it in the 2008 election.
But Mr Verma isn't the only name on the shortlist. BJP sources have told NDTV there are five candidates, including Mr Verma, and that the party will balance various factors, including caste.
Parvesh Verma
Making Mr Verma Chief Minister will send a strong message to the Jat community, from which the incoming New Delhi MLA hails. Jat votes helped ensure the BJP won last year's Haryana election, as well as flipping Rajasthan from the Congress, and solidifying its hold over Uttar Pradesh.
That Parvesh Verma met Union Home Minister Amit Shah - widely credited with orchestrating the BJP's remarkable Delhi win - soon after his victory was confirmed is another sign in his favour.
READ | Parvesh Verma Emerges 'Giant Killer' After Defeating Kejriwal
Mr Verma spoke to NDTV and gave the people of Delhi an "assurance", i.e., the incoming Delhi government, which will form a 'double engine' administration with the party that is also in power at the centre, will work for the development of the national capital.
READ | "Want To Assure People Of Delhi...": 'Giant-Slayer' Parvesh Verma
"... people of Delhi have given us this mandate. I want to assure them a government will be formed that works with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the central government," he said.
Satish Upadhyay
The second option is Satish Upadhyay, who stopped AAP leader Somnath Bharti from claiming a fourth successive win from the Malviya Nagar Assembly constituency.
Mr Upadhyay is seen as the Delhi BJP's Brahmin face.
He was the party's state unit boss and, crucially for him, also served as Vice Chairman of the New Delhi Municipal Corporation, which means he has administrative experience relating directly the national capital, something Mr Verma may, perhaps, not have.
Another point in Mr Upadhyay's favour is that he has held many other senior positions within the BJP, and is also close to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, which is the BJP's ideological mentor.
Ashish Sood
The BJP's Punjabi face, Mr Sood is the new MLA from the Janakpuri Assembly constituency, which was (an impenetrable) BJP stronghold till 2015, when the AAP's Rajesh Rishi won two terms.
Mr Sood's past administrative experience includes time as a Delhi Councillor and the General-Secretary of the party's Delhi unit. He is also in-charge of the party's unit in Goa (which will vote next in 2027) and the co-in-charge of Jammu and Kashmir.
Other points in Mr Sood's favour, sources have suggested, are his close ties with the BJP's central leadership, and his tenure as President of Delhi University.
Jitendra Mahajan, Vijender Gupta
The fourth and fifth names on this list, Jitendra Mahajan and Vijender Gupta come from the Vaishya community, with the latter possibly the more favoured of the two options.
With his win today, Mr Mahajan is now a three-time MLA from Delhi's Rohtas Nagar. And, like Mr Upadhyay, also has closes links to the RSS.
Mr Gupta was President of the Delhi BJP and is seen as the Vaishya face of the party. He is now a three-time MLA from the Rohini Assembly seat and has also been Leader of the Opposition twice.
BJP Thumps AAP, Reclaims Delhi
The BJP - boosted by the 'Modi wave' and votes from women, the middle-class, and the Purvanchali community - brought the curtain down on Arvind Kejriwal's decade-long hold over Delhi.
READ | Delhi Picks BJP, Rejects AAP, PM Says "Development Won"
The AAP, which registered landslide wins in the 2015 and 2020 elections, winning 67 and 62 of Delhi's 70 seats each time, was dealt a heavy defeat this time around. The BJP is set to win 48 seats - up 40 from five years ago - to the AAP's 22. The Congress draws a blank for the third straight Delhi election.
READ | "Development, Good Governance Won": PM On BJP's Big Delhi Win
Reacting to the big win, the PM said on X, "My salute and congratulations to all my brothers and sisters for giving a historic victory to BJP... I am very grateful to all of you from the bottom of my heart..."
Mr Kejriwal, meanwhile, was left with little option but accept "the people's mandate".
READ | "Accept People's Mandate": Arvind Kejriwal Reacts To Delhi Loss
"People's decision is paramount. I congratulate the BJP on its victory and I hope that it lives up to the hopes and expectations of the people who have given them a majority." he said in a video statement.
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