BJP to follow Maharashtra model in Delhi; won't name CM candidate

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday said that it was confident of achieving a straightforward victory in the Delhi elections, and added that it would follow the successful plans applied in polls in Maharashtra and Haryana and not name a candidate for the chief minister’s post.

“The party is ready to fight in the elections. We will give Delhi a good government and good governance. Earlier, we had said that we are ready for elections and when the lieutenant governor calls us, we will give our answer to whether or not we want to form the government. Now we have given our answer -- we will fight in the elections,” BJP Delhi president Satish Upadhyay said.

“The BJP believes in a collective leadership and that is how we fought the elections in Haryana and Maharashtra and with the example of those two states, we will fight the elections here and after winning, whoever the collective leadership decides will lead the state,” he added.

Upadhyay further said the party was confident of winning the elections, adding that the voters will vote for responsible governance.

“The double talk by other parties has betrayed Delhi means that the city needs a responsible government for which the BJP is absolutely ready. We will fight the elections and will win fabulously,” he said, adding, “There are many issues that we will focus on, including those of water, electricity, unauthorised colonies, zero tolerance to corruption, health, unemployment and the safety of women.”

Upadhyay also attacked the Aam Aadmi Party-led government, which was in power for 49 days before the then-chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had resigned. “The previous so-called government has only disgraced the nation -- it is shameful that the chief minister sat on a dharna on January 26 and stood on the wall of the secretariat to talk to people,” he said.

Earlier in the day, Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung had sent a status report to the ministry of home affairs over government formation in the capital after his consultations on Monday with leaders of the BJP, Congress and the AAP at Raj Niwas to explore the possibility of government formation in Delhi.

Delhi has been under the President’s rule since February after Kejriwal stepped down after 49 days in power.