Kiran Bedi BJP’s Delhi CM candidate

 

New Delhi, 19 Jan 2015: BJP on Monday announced that former IPS officer Kiran Bedi will be its chief ministerial candidate for the upcoming elections in Delhi.

 

Addressing a news conference after the party’s central election committee meet, BJP president Amit Shah said, "BJP’s parliamentary board has decided that the party will contest Delhi elections under the leadership of Kiran Bedi. She will also be our CM candidate."

 

"The decision to make Kiran Bedi the party’s chief ministerial candidate for Delhi was supported by all members," Shah told reporters.

 

"Kiran Bedi will contest from the Krishna Nagar seat since it is the party’s traditional seat," Amit Shah announced here.

 

"We want her to contest from Krishna Nagar so that she is able devote time to other constituencies as well," Shah said.

 

Shah added that BJP will fight these elections in alliance with the Akali Dal.

 

Dismissing reports that there is dissent in the party following Bedi’s induction, Shah said, "There is no discord among the party members, it was only media speculation."

 

AAP slammed BJP’s decision of picking Bedi as their CM candidate. "This shows they don’t have leaders of their own, they have taken leaders from India Against Corruption," AAP leader Somnath Bharti said.

 

"She is clearly being made a scapegoat because BJP does not want their defeat to be blamed on Narendra Modi," the AAP leader added.

 

Kiran Bedi was inducted into the saffron party on January 16 amid strong indication that it could project the country’s first woman IPS officer as its CM candidate.