As the Bhupesh Baghel-led Congress government in Chhattisgarh is set to reach the half-way mark of its tenure on June 17, the buzz of '2.5 years formula' – a speculation that another chief minister was to take over for the rest of the government's tenure – has started again.
However, senior minister in Baghel cabinet, Ravindra Choubey, while talking to the media, dismissed the speculations saying no such formula exists, and there is no discussion or chance of any changes at the top. He said the Congress government will complete its five-year tenure under Baghel, and added that Baghel was the face of Chhattisgarh Congress and that the party will be in power in the state for 20 years.
Health Minister T.S. Singh Deo, who has always been projected as the chief minister for the second half of the government's tenure, said Choubey is a senior minister and his knowledge and assertion must be correct. Deo further said he also does not have any inkling about any impending change.
However, speculations are rife that if not at the chief ministerial level, some changes in the cabinet or some government level political appointments are likely as the Congress government completes half of its tenure this month.
The BJP took a dig at the ruling Congress, with former minister and BJP MLA Ajay Chandrakar reacting on Twitter to Choubey's statement saying, "The situation in Chhattisgarh will be like Punjab after June 17," in apparent reference to the power tussle in Punjab. Chandrakar said, "If there is Maharaja in Punjab, there is Maharaja in Chhattisgarh too," adding "the Maharaja of Chhattisgarh is not inferior to anyone." Singh Deo comes from a royal family and the comments are presumably aimed at him.
There have been talks of '2.5 years formula' in Chhattisgarh's power corridors ever since Bhupesh Baghel was chosen from among four strong contenders to be chief minister of the state after Congress's thumping win in assembly polls of 2018.
The other contenders to the post were Singh Deo, (home minister) Tamradhwaj Sahu (assembly speaker) and Charandas Mahant. According to sources, Singh Deo was said to be the choice of majority MLAs when their opinion in this regard was sought by the Congress observer before the formation of the government. All four had been called in for a discussion by the then Congress president Rahul Gandhi and finally Baghel was chosen. There have been speculations since then that a formula to divide the chief ministerial tenure between Baghel and Singh Deo was made to keep everyone happy.
However, this has proven to mere speculation till now with no senior leaders ever making any comments suggesting that a change of guard was likely. Congress' Chhattisgarh in-charge P.L. Punia has repeatedly denied any such possibility, but the buzz has sounded in the state politics time and again.
