As suspense continues over Raj CM pick, Vasundhara Raje arrives in Delhi

NEW DELHI: Amid the continuing suspense over who the BJP top brass turns to as its Chief Ministerial candidate for Rajasthan, after the party returned to the helm on the back of a landslide mandate, former CM and stalwart leader Vasundhara Raje arrived in the national capital on Wednesday evening.

Speaking to reporters at the airport after arriving in the national capital, Raje, who secured a fresh term in the Assembly from the Jhalrapatan assembly constituency, said, "I have come to visit my daughter-in-law."

The BJP, which wrested Rajasthan from the Congress, winning 115 of the 199 seats for which polling was conducted on November 25, is yet to pick its Chief Ministerial candidate for the state. Vasundhara Raje, a two-time CM of the State; Diya Kumari, who has been elected MLA from Vidyadhar Nagar; Mahat Balak Nath, who won from the Tijara constituency; and Rajyavarardhan Singh Rathore, who won from the Jhotwara constituency, are believed to be among the top contenders for the post.

The BJP swept the Hindi heartland on the counting day for four states that polled for their assemblies last month.

The BJP, with its stunning mandates in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Rajasthan, stumped not just their rivals but also some pollsters who had predicted tight races in these states.

In Rajasthan, the vote count painted a starkly different picture from what some of the pollsters had predicted, with the BJP poised to form the government, winning 115 seats, and the Congress trailing at 69 seats.

The saffron party is scheduled to convene a Parliamentary party meeting at Balayogi Auditorium in the Parliament House complex on Thursday, amid the suspense over the selection of chief ministers for the three heartland states -- Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with all the BJP MPs from these three states, will be present at the meeting.