Verma is contesting from the New Delhi Assembly seat, where he faces not only Kejriwal but also Congress’ Sandeep Dikshit.
New Delhi: While the BJP central leadership, learning from past setbacks, has refrained from announcing a Chief Ministerial candidate for the Delhi elections, party supporters and workers believe that Parvesh Singh Verma, the BJP candidate from the New Delhi seat, could naturally emerge as the CM choice if he defeats Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal and the BJP crosses the crucial 36-seat threshold.
Verma, a two-time Member of Parliament from the West Delhi Lok Sabha constituency, is contesting from the New Delhi Assembly seat, where he faces not only Kejriwal but also Congress’s Sandeep Dikshit. The New Delhi seat, which is not part of his former Lok Sabha constituency, was part of the New Delhi Lok Sabha seat that BJP’s Bansuri Swaraj won last year. It has 10 Assembly seats, all of which were won by AAP in the 2020 Assembly polls.
Verma starts his morning campaign from his residence at 20 Windsor Place, Janpath Road, and is often greeted by his supporters, who chant slogans predicting that he is the next CM of Delhi—something not seen in the campaigns of other party candidates.
Aged 48, Verma is the son of former Delhi CM Sahib Singh Verma, who served from 1996 to 1998 before being replaced by Sushma Swaraj due to the ‘onion crisis.’ Verma, hailing from the Jat community, which is estimated to constitute around 5-10% of Delhi’s population, primarily residing on the outskirts, has faced challenges in advancing his political career.
Despite his potential, his career has been hindered by what many perceive as his uncontrollable tendency to make controversial statements that harm the party’s image at a broader level. Additionally, his inability to adopt a more refined, “soft” manner—an approach that resonates with a significant portion of Delhi’s electorate—has been a major setback.
“He has yet to redefine his public image. In Delhi, one needs a leader who is mild-mannered, avoids crude responses, and refrains from reacting impulsively to political jabs,” commented a party leader, on Verma’s perceived shortcomings in adapting to the political climate of the capital.
Both of his competitors, Kejriwal and Dikshit, are known for their near-perfect manner of presenting their views and interacting with people.
Some party members who back Verma for CM argue that he has the strongest resume among all BJP candidates. He has been a two-time MP from a seat with both urban and rural voters, experienced how administration runs during his ten years in Parliament, and most importantly, he would have defeated Kejriwal to emerge as the winner.
They claim that if the leadership did not have a ‘bigger’ plan for Verma, he would not have been asked to contest from a seat that does not lie within his former Lok Sabha constituency, especially against the formidable AAP candidate, Kejriwal.
Verma, while filing his election affidavit, reported a significant increase in his assets over the past six years. According to his affidavit for the 2025 Delhi Assembly elections, Verma’s total assets have surged to Rs 115.63 crore, compared to Rs 15.52 crore in his 2019 Lok Sabha election affidavit. Similarly, his movable assets have grown dramatically from Rs 3.2 crore in 2019 to Rs 96.5 crore in 2025. This marks an extraordinary rise of over seven times in total assets and approximately thirty times in movable assets over the span of just six years.