BJP declares Kiran Bedi as CM candidate For Delhi.

After much speculation, former IPS officer Kiran Bedi has been named as BJP's chief ministerial candidate for the Delhi Assembly polls scheduled for 7 February.

Following the chief election committee meeting in New Delhi, BJP president Amit Shah met mediapersons and said, "BJP will contest polls under the leadership of Kiran Bedi in New Delhi. She will contest from Krishna Nagar constituency. The party leadership has chosen her as the chief ministerial candidate for the Delhi Assembly election."

Speaking to Times Now, Kiran Bedi said, "I would like to thank party leadership for showing confidence in me."

Praising Bedi, Shah said, "Bedi's whole life has been around the people of Delhi. She has dedicated her life to fight against crime and corruption. During her days in the Delhi Police, she gained much trust among people."

"She has also been a well known name in social work," Shah said.

The BJP president further added, "The decision of going to polls under Bedi's leadership will surely lead us to victory."

Bedi will contest from the Krishna Nagar seat in east Delhi, considered a BJP stronghold. She had asked the party leadership to field her from this constituency as she did not want a direct fight with Kejriwal.

Sitting party MLAs and well-known newly inducted leaders have been given preference in ticket distribution, reported Firstpost's Tarique Anwar.

However, Bedi did not reach party headquarters for press briefing. Party choose to keep mum over the question why she did not come.

Sources had earlier told Firstpost reporter Tarique Anwar that had asked the party leadership to field her from this constituency as she did not want a direct fight with Kejriwal.

Shah said that Union Minister J P Nadda will release the list of all the 70 candidates later tonight.

Sources had also told Firstpost that the party leadership had decided to pit former AAP member Shazia Ilmi against Arvind Kejriwal from New Delhi. However, in a tweet Shazia Ilmi announced that she has opted out of Delhi polls.

Bedi made her foray into politics by joining the BJP on 15 January giving rise to speculation that she could be declared the party's chief ministerial candidate ahead of the crucial Delhi polls.

While Arun Jaitley and Amit Shah praised Bedi during her induction saying she would strengthen the party unit in the capital, not all members of BJP were on the same page.  In fact, an earlier Firstpost article noted how RSS might not have been totally on board with Kiran Bedi joining BJP bandwagon.

Leaders have chosen to complain about Bedi so far anonymously in order to prevent any action being taken against them.

"She is rude and arrogant. Her dictatorial tendencies may have an adverse impact on the party’s prospect. It will be difficult for workers to work with her. Since we work under the umbrella of the BJP, we will follow instructions of our leader as obedient foot soldiers", one party leader had told Firstpost. 

The RSS also reportedly wasn't initially too pleased about the rumours of Bedi being picked as a chief ministerial candidate.

Another BJP MP, Manoj Tiwari was summoned by the party leadership today after he raised objections to Kiran Bedi as the CM candidate.

Even ahead of the 2013 Assembly elections, speculation was rife that Bedi would join the party and be its face for the Assembly polls but the party chose to go with its senior Delhi leader and now Union Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan instead.

In May 2014, Bedi had said she was ready to be the CM candidate if such an offer was made to her. "I will consider myself to be ready for it if such an offer is made," Bedi had said when asked if she would be the candidate if fresh elections were announced.

But her bid to be CM was shot down by several BJP leaders who felt she was an 'outsider'.

Bedi's entry into Delhi politics has been a boon for the BJP that so far did not have a face to challenge AAP's Arvind Kejriwal.

As pointed out by Firstpost editor Sanjay Singh in this earlier article, "The leadership void was a sore point for the BJP, especially given the Aam Aadmi Party’s well-known face of Arvind Kejriwal. In fact, AAP repeatedly taunted the BJP over the lack of a chief ministerial candidate and for using Narendra Modi as a prop. In fact, to underscore the point, AAP unilaterally decided to call it a Kejriwal versus Jagdish Mukhi fight – a clearly unequal fight. Mukhi was leader of the opposition when Sheila Dikshit was CM. But the BJP has now redrawn the chess broad and looks to be suddenly one up in the game of political brinkmanship. The move has taken AAP, as also the mid-level leadership, by surprise."

Even the AAP has acknowledged that Bedi's inclusion was one that could help it greatly.

One of the founding members of IAC, who worked closely with Bedi and later joined AAP, told Firstpost, "It’s a right choice as she’ll bring credibility to the Delhi BJP and is the most befitting candidate for CM. When she was denied her right to become the police commissioner, she decided to part ways with the Congress. Since then it was clear that she would get into politics someday or the other. Her administrative capabilities have remained beyond doubt and she has proved it."