BJP to name CM nominee ahead of Assembly polls

Speculation over Harshvardhan angers Vijay Goel

The Bharatiya Janata Party is doing a serious rethink on its stated position of going to the polls under ‘collective leadership’, sources said. 

But at the same time, on Wednesday, it rejected speculation that former Delhi Health Minister Harshvardhan has been picked as BJP’s chief ministerial candidate. 

Party's Delhi Assembly polls in-charge Nitin Gadkari said the party is yet to take a decision.Amid speculation over the Harshvardhan's imminent nomination as the CM candidate, Gadkari met party's national chief Rajnath Singh and Secretary (Organisation) Ram Lal.

In a statement, Nitin Gadkari said, “No decision over naming has been taken. The final decision would be taken by the Parliamentary Board.” 

Speculations within the rank and the file of the party have been ripe that the party has decided to name Harshvardhan as the chief ministerial candidate, thus releasing the cat among the pigeons in Delhi BJP president Vijay Goel’s camp who is also one of the front runners. 

Party insiders said that the pressue is building on the party leadership to announce its CM candidiate due to the growing perception that not announcing a candidate would prove detrimental especially when AAP has projected Arvind Kejriwal as its face and Sheila Dikshit is the lead campaigner of ruling party Congress.