From correspondents in Delhi, India, 05:33 PM IST

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Vijay Kumar Malhotra Saturday demanded the resignation of Home Minister Shivraj Patil following a bomb blast in Delhi's Mehrauli area.

"He should resign," Malhotra told reporters here. "If he cannot stop these incidents even in the capital, he has no right to hold the post."

Malhotra, who was Friday named the BJP's chief ministerial candidate, added: "It is the lapse of the home minister."

(Staff Writer, © IANS)