Who is Parvesh Verma, likely to be Delhi CM after defeating Kejriwal?
Parvesh was first elected to the Delhi assembly in 2013; the next year, during the Modi wave, he was elected to the Lok Sabha from West Delhi
BJP leader Parvesh Verma, who defeated AAP founder and former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in the Assembly elections, is expected to be the next chief minister of the national capital.
Son of former BJP veteran and former Delhi chief minister Sahib Singh Verma, Parvesh has been a member of the Lok Sabha and has been a leading voice against Kejriwal for many years.
In the New Delhi constituency from where Kejriwal was elected to the Assembly thrice since 2013, the Jat community leader defeated the Aam Aadmi Party star by over 4,000 votes.
Also read: Delhi polls: Here are BJP's chief ministerial frontrunners
Influential family
Born in 1977, Parvesh hails from a politically influential family. One of his uncles, Azad Singh, was a mayor of the North Delhi Municipal Corporation.
Parvesh was educated in Delhi and holds a Master's degree in business administration. He was first elected to the Delhi assembly in 2013.
The next year, during the Modi wave, he was elected for the first time to the Lok Sabha from West Delhi.
Also read: Delhi elections | Five reasons why AAP and Kejriwal bit the dust
Election hiccup
In 2019, Parvesh defeated his Congress rival Mahabal Mishra by 578,486 votes.
In 2020, he was banned for 24 hours by the Election Commission during the Assembly election campaign after calling Kejriwal a terrorist.
Though a formal decision on who will be the next chief minister has not been made, many in the BJP feel that Parvesh will be one of the most acceptable faces to the various groupings within the party.
