Updated on Sunday, November 16, 2008, 00:00 IST

Raipur, Nov 16: Senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj said that it was she, who was the first offered to become BJP's chief ministerial candidate for Delhi Assembly election this year. She was addressing media persons at a hotel in Raipur on Sunday evening.

But she declined the offer as the party leadership made the offer to Arun Jaitley and at last senior party leader Vijay Kumar Malhotra was declared the party's chief ministerial candidate for Delhi.

"It was me who was first offered to become the party's chief ministerial candidate in Delhi. As I declined, even senior party leaders also urged me to take up the offer. Later the offer went to Jaitley and at last the party declared Vijay Kumar Malhotra as its chief ministerial candidate. I had already been the chief minister of Delhi and now my focus is to remain in national politics," Swaraj said.

The former Delhi Chief Minister said that there is no anti-incumbency factor in all the three BJP ruled states and thus the party would retain power.

Besides, she said that with people of Delhi having enough of Congress will now vote BJP to power this time.

"We will win the four states including Delhi. We will also increase our tally significantly in J&K and Mizoram," she said.

Admitting that she was little hurt by the fact that women were not given more seats by the party in Chhattisgarh and Delhi, Swaraj said that the figure was slightly better in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

"No political party would give the 33 percent reservation to women unless it is become binding on them through a legislation," Swaraj observed.

Bureau Report