Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: Union Health and Family Welfare Minister, Dr Harsh Vardhan, on Sunday rubbished reports which claimed that former top cop Kiran Bedi will be named BJP`s next chief ministerial nominee.

Talking to a news channel, Dr Harsh Vardhan said that there is no discussion within BJP over the naming of Bedi and reports claiming it are unwarranted. He also said he was not dreaming of becoming the Delhi CM as his focus is on the duties related to the Union Health Ministry. Dr Harsh Vardhan was the party`s chief ministerial candidate ahead of the December poll.

Notably, a storm is brewing in the BJP with many Delhi leaders allegedly threatening to "not cooperate" and even "lose deliberately" if Bedi was named the candidate for the post of the Delhi CM.

The leaders have reportedly complained to Bharatiya Janata Party`s (BJP) Delhi chief Harsh Vardhan and senior leader Nitin Gadkari against the move to prop up Bedi as then chief ministerial candidate.

Interestingly, the pandemonium was caused by a tweet from fake Twitter account in Gadkari`s name last month wherein Gadkari announced Bedi as the party`s chief ministerial candidate who would take on Kejriwal in Delhi.

The tweet created a massive flutter before Gadkari`s rebuttal.

However, the speculations have not stopped since and the media has been pestering Bedi as well as BJP leaders to clarify their respective stands.

Bedi, in fact, has admitted that she would accept the offer for the top job.

"I have spent 35-40 years of my life in Delhi and (now) want to devote my remaining life for its welfare," Bedi told a TV channel.

Winning 31 of the 70 Assembly seats, the BJP emerged as the single largest party in Delhi under Harsh Vardhan but could not form a government as it failed to reach the halfway mark of 36.