Shivraj Singh Chouhan to take oath as MP chief minister this evening

Narottam Mishra, Scindia camp’s Tulsi Silawat likely to be deputy CMs

[FILE] Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. A hoarding with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's face is also seen on the background | PTI [FILE] Shivraj Singh Chouhan | PTI

National vice president of BJP Shivraj Singh Chouhan will script history when he takes oath as the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh for a fourth term around 7pm on Monday.

Former minister and key player in the recent political drama, Narottam Mishra and Jyotiraditya Scindia camp’s Tulsi Silawat, who was health minister in the Kamal Nath cabinet, are likely to take oath as deputy chief ministers with Chouhan, party sources told THE WEEK.

The oath taking ceremony is likely to be a very low key affair at Raj Bhavan in Bhopal, due to the COVID-19 situation. Bhopal is among nine districts in Madhya Pradesh which are under complete lockdown till March 31 due to the pandemic scare.

Chouhan, who became the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh for the first time in November 2005, will be the first person to become the chief minister of the state for a fourth term. Before this, Congress’s Shayamacharan Shukla and Arjun Singh have been chief ministers of the state for three terms each.

It will also be only the second time that the state would have two deputy chief ministers—for balancing power and caste equations and also in view of the ‘deal’ that the BJP had with Jyotiraditya Scindia before he ditched the Congress with 22 MLAs to join the saffron fold.

Narottam Mishra is a powerful leader from Gwalior-Chambal belt and a Brahmin, and Tulsiram Silawat, who comes from Malwa region, is a close Scindia confidante and comes from the scheduled caste community.

Before this, Digivijaya Singh had two deputy chief ministers in Subhash Yadav and Pyarelal Kanwar during the 1993-1998 stint. Subhash Yadav was a strong OBC leader from Malwa region and Kanwar was a tribal leader of repute from the Bilaspur region that is now in Chhattisgarh state. Digvijaya, being a Thakur himself, sought to balance the caste and region equations with the two deputies.

Other members of the Chouhan cabinet are likely to be sworn in and Scindia camp leaders are likely to get a good share, sources said.

BJP spokesman Rajneesh Agrawal told The WEEK that the legislature party meeting of the BJP will be held on Monday evening, around 6pm and will be attended by as many legislators as possible. The decision about the chief minister’s name and the oath taking will be ratified during this meeting, he added.

As safety protocol against COVID-19, the MLAs have been asked to come without gunmen and personal assistants to the meeting to limit the number of persons present, Agrawal said. Others who cannot attend will be consulted over the phone. The central leaders will be available during the meeting on videoconferencing, he added.

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