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BJP for Bedi as Delhi's Chief Ministerial Candidate
By Sumit Kumar Singh - NEW DELHI
Published: 15th April 2014 07:12 AM
Last Updated: 15th April 2014 09:01 PM
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Bedi was offered the Delhi chief ministerial post before the last Assembly elections held in December, but she had declined the offer. (File photo/EPS)
The BJP is likely to project former super cop Kiran Bedi as its chief ministerial candidate in Delhi, considering that its state unit president Harsh Vardhan could be out of the race if he wins the Chandni Chowk constituency, from where he is expecting to get elected to the 16th Lok Sabha.
The BJP is toying with the idea of asking Bedi to come on board and join the party so that she can be projected as the face of Delhi, when the state Assembly polls are expected to be held after the Lok Sabha polls that ends in mid-May.
A senior state BJP leader said that the former IPS officer was offered the Delhi chief ministerial post before the last Assembly elections held in December, but she had declined the offer.
“The idea behind approaching Bedi again is to counter AAP’s face Arvind Kejriwal in Delhi,” the leader said.
In the last Assembly elections, the party had considered between state leaders Vijay Goel and Harsh Vardhan and ultimately chose the latter, who had a cleaner image. The AAP, led by Arvind Kejriwal, garnered 28 seats in an impressive debut, while the BJP managed to get 31 out of 70 seats.
When Kejriwal resigned and announced that he would contest in the parliamentary polls, senior party leaders approached Bedi to contest from the New Delhi parliamentary seat, but she turned down the offer.
“Before the parliamentary elections in the city, the party again offered her the New Delhi seat to contest in the LS polls, but she had again declined.
Thereafter BJP national spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi was given New Delhi Parliamentary seat to contest against Congress veteran Ajay Maken,” a party leader said.
The party has indirectly paved the way for Bedi in Delhi Assembly polls by requesting Harsh Vardhan to contest from Chandni Chowk constituency against two-time sitting MP Kapil Sibal.
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