BJP leaders inspect Ramlila Ground before oath-taking ceremony for Delhi CM

New Delhi: Senior Delhi BJP leaders on Tuesday inspected preparations at the Ramlila Ground here, and said a "historic and grand" oath-taking ceremony will take place at the venue to inaugurate the city's first BJP chief minister in more than 25 years.

After inspecting the ground along with Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva, BJP National General Secretary Tarun Chugh said Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena is overseeing the preparations and people from across the city have expressed a desire to be at the event, likely on Thursday.

Chugh told reporters the people of Delhi have blessed Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is "trusted by all citizens from Kashmir to Kanyakumari".

The Ramlila Maidan, which can accommodate around 30,000 people, is being spruced up with its boundary walls receiving a fresh coat of paint. On Monday, workers were seen cleaning the sprawling ground as well as the pavements and roads around the venue.

According to party sources, the next chief minister of Delhi, along with the council of ministers, is likely to take oath at the Ramlila Maidan around 4.30 pm on Thursday. The ceremony is expected to be attended by top BJP leaders, including chief ministers from BJP-ruled states.

In the assembly poll results announced on February 8, the BJP secured 48 seats in the 70-member Assembly, returning to power in the city after 26 years. The AAP won only 22 seats.

With the saffron party going into the polls without announcing a chief ministerial candidate, speculations have intensified over who could be the chief minister.

The names of some newly-elected MLAs are doing the rounds including Parvesh Verma, who defeated AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal; former Delhi BJP presidents Vijender Gupta and Satish Upadhyay; and other leaders such as Pawan Sharma, Ashish Sood, Rekha Gupta, and Shikha Rai.

The names of Ravinder Indraj Singh, the MLA from the Bawana (SC) seat, and Kailash Gangwal, who won the Madipur (SC) seat for the BJP for the first time, are also being discussed.

Many within the party believe that the BJP leadership could choose a "dark horse" as Delhi's next chief minister, a strategy the party opted for in Rajasthan, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh.