Delhi Election Results: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Parvesh Verma emerged as a giant killer after defeating Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor and former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal from the New Delhi seat. Verma, a former member of the Lok Sabha, sent a shocker among AAP supporters as Kejriwal was the main face of the party. Verma made Kejriwal bite the dust with over 3,000 votes in a high-stakes contest.
As it is part of the poll strategy, the BJP did not announce the name of the chief minister face, which drew severe criticism from AAP. Kejriwal’s party mocked the BJP, saying ‘Bina dulha ke baraat’. But, with the outstanding results for the BJP, it is clear that the strategy of not announcing CM candidate worked in the Delhi Assembly elections.
Now, there is a strong buzz that Verma is a strong contender for the chief minister post as he was among top local leaders who led the poll campaign for the party.
Here are the reasons why the BJP may pick him for the CM post:
- Giant killer: Verma defeated the one who was one of the biggest challengers of the BJP. By conquering the main face of the rival party, he proved his mettle.
- Jat factor: The BJP targeted Jat votes as the AAP was constantly alleging the BJP of ignoring the community. Though New Delhi is not a Jat-dominated seat, the saffron party pitted Jat leader Verma in the most prestigious seat in the national capital. The top leadership may pick Verma for the CM post as there are at least 10 constituencies in Delhi which are dominated by the Jat community. This time, the BJP succeeded in breaching AAP’s Jat vote bank.
- Hindu hard-liner: Verma has been vociferously vocal on Hindutva-related issues, particularly on Muslim appeasement and illegal Muslim Bangladeshis residing in Delhi. He is one of the biggest BJP’s Hindutva faces.
- Focussed on Delhi polls: Verma was denied ticked in the Lok Sabha elections 2025. He happily accepted the party’s decision and remained focused on the Delhi elections.
- Biggest challenger against AAP: Verma led the attack against Kejriwal on ‘Sheesh Mahal’ row. He succeeded to snowballed the issue in the public domain.
- Son of former CM: He is the son of former Delhi chief minister Sahib Singh Verma, which also goes in his favour. He shares a very good bond with all senior BJP leaders because of his father’s roots in the party.
