Two days after Congress leader Kamal Nath resigned from the post of Madhya Pradesh chief minister, bringing to an end the 15-month rule of the party in MP, all eyes are now on the central leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party in New Delhi to pick the new CM for the political crisis-hit state.
After the name of the new chief minister is finalised, the BJP is likely to stake claim to form the government in the state. The new government should be in place before March 26 when the Rajya Sabha polls are scheduled, political watchers feel.
However, the COVID-19 shadow looms large over the meetings of the BJP parliamentary board in New Delhi and BJP legislature party in Bhopal scheduled for March 23. It is the parliamentary board that will finalise the name of new chief minister and it would be ratified by the BJP legislature party in Bhopal.
“There is no confirmation on convening of the parliamentary board or the legislature party meeting on March 23 yet. The prime minister and central leaders are now focused on coronavirus situation. However, things should be done in two more days,” BJP state president Vishnu Dutt Sharma told THE WEEK.
As for the choice of chief minister, he said that the decision rests upon the central leadership. “PM Modi, Home Mminister Amit Shah and National President J.P. Nadda will take the decision and it would be followed to the last word here,” Sharma said.
Sources said that apart from the COVID-19 situation, extended deliberations regarding selection of the new chief minister is also the reason for delaying the decision. Ex-chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who was in the forefront of the entire political drama that led to the collapse of the Congress government in the state, is said to be the top contender for the post.
But many leaders at the state level are said to be opposing Chouhan’s selection for the fourth time. They feel that other leaders should also be given a chance and in that sense, the name of Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, whose home in New Delhi remained the hotbed of political changes during the past two weeks, is said to be very much in the race.
Name of ex-minister and BJP chief whip in Madhya Pradesh Assembly Narottam Mishra was also pushed, but political watchers feel that according to caste equations, his chances are negligible as the state president Vishnu Dutt Sharma is also a Brahmin like Mishra.
“Shivraj, being an OBC, a leader of mass appeal and having long experience of running the state, is the most balanced choice for the party in the present situation. But internal bickering might force the party to think of other names and then Tomar, a Kshatriya by caste, is a likely choice. In my view, Shivraj is in most advantageous position,” political watcher Manish Dixit said.
At least six of the 22 rebels of Congress who joined BJP on Saturday are likely to be inducted as ministers with the formation of the government this week, sources said. Though the rebels have lost their membership, they can be made ministers and then become members of the House by winning a by-poll within the next six months as per the rules.
Among the names that are likely to be considered for ministerial berths are ex-ministers in the Congress government Govind Singh Rajput, Tulsi Silawat, Imarti Devi, Mahendra Singh Sisodia, Pradyumna Singh Tomar and other rebels like Aidal Singh Kansana, Bisahulal Singh and Rajyavardhan Singh Dattigaon.
Sources said that the deal with Jyotiraditya Scindia for the switchover was that 10 of the rebels would be made ministers. Four others are likely to find a place in the cabinet after the by-polls, sources added, though this can lead to a lot of heartburn amongst BJP contenders as there are only 33 ministerial berths available in the state.
BJP state president Sharma, however, told THE WEEK that the decision on induction of the ministers will be finalised after government formation. He also hinted at some other decision saying that the newcomers to the party will first have to contest the by-polls.
