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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Delhi is grappling with the question of whether to declare a ‘CM face’ for the upcoming assembly elections in the national capital. A section of the party believes that having a designated leader to challenge Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) could be beneficial, and several senior leaders have conveyed their support for this strategy to national party leaders.
The debate has centered around potential candidates from within the party. Names like Manoj Tiwari, Bansuri Swaraj, Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, state president Virendra Sachdeva, former MP Parvesh Verma, and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Vijender Gupta have been floated. The rationale behind this approach is that having a single, prominent figurehead could project a message of ‘unity’ and streamline the campaigning process.
However, there is a faction within the BJP that opposes the idea of a declared CM face. They point to the party’s unsuccessful attempt to use Kiran Bedi as their chief ministerial candidate in the 2015 elections, where they were comprehensively defeated by AAP. They argue that such a strategy might not necessarily translate to electoral success.
The national BJP leadership is yet to make a final decision on this matter, with the debate still ongoing. Meanwhile, AAP, confident of Kejriwal’s popularity, is gearing up for the polls with the Chief Minister, currently in Tihar jail due to the Delhi excise policy case, as their primary campaign figurehead. The party is aiming for Kejriwal’s fourth consecutive term as CM.
The upcoming elections in Delhi are shaping up to be a tight contest between the BJP and AAP. The decision of whether to declare a CM face could have a significant impact on the BJP’s electoral prospects. The party will need to carefully weigh the pros and cons of both options before making a final decision.
Source: Delhi BJP leaders push for 'CM face' to challenge Kejriwal, suggest names: Report