With the BJP posting big wins in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, the race for chief ministerial face has heated up. While Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan remains a hot favourite to return for the fifth time on the top post, things are less clear in Chhattisgarh where ex-CM Raman Singh is strongly in the race but a tribal face might be projected.
The saffron party did not project any chief ministerial face in the run up to the polls that was fought under a collective leadership. In a new experiment, members of parliament and union ministers were pitted in the state poll arena with remarkable success. This has made the list of probable CM candidates quite long in both the states.
However, going by the public perception and the upcoming Lok Sabha polls that would require experienced handling of state machinery, Chouhan and Singh are emerging favourites, party sources say.
The party is likely to decide the CM names within two or three days, though the appointment of observers to the states – a step before holding the legislative bodies’ meeting to formally elect the CMs – are yet to be made. Yet, there are strong speculations in Madhya Pradesh that the oath-taking might be as early as December 7.
In Chhattisgarh, a programme scheduled on Monday morning to welcome the newly elected MLAs in presence of election and state in-charges, was suddenly cancelled.
The probable names
Chouhan, a four-time and longest serving CM of BJP, has proven his mettle in the state polls as he had a big say in candidates’ selection and personally took up a hectic schedule of campaigning. Apart from the ‘magic’ of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s ‘masterful organizational strategy’, Chouhan’s connect with Madhya Pradesh’s people is being credited for the big win in the state.
Though names like union ministers Narendra Singh Tomar, Jyotiraditya Scindia and Prahlad Patel, national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya and state BJP president Vishnu Dutt Sharma have been making rounds in political circle as a new face for CM, the claim of Chouhan seems to be strongest.
In Chhattisgarh, there is a talk that voters compared the on-ground development during the three consecutive tenures of Raman Singh (2003-2018) to the ‘over-hyped’ schemes of the Bhupesh Baghel-led Congress government that did not work much practically.
However, there are discussions that a new face, likely a tribal leader, may be pitched in Chhattisgarh to continue with the wooing of the crucial chunk of voters in the country. The party’s sops and attention for tribals worked in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh with the party winning big in the reserved seats and tribal belts. The BJP will like to continue this momentum for the Lok Sabha polls in 2024.
Thus the names of tribal leaders like former state BJP president Vishnu Deo Sai and senior leader Ram Vichar Netam are making rounds. Also in strong contention are state BJP president Arun Sao and IAS turned politician O.P. Chaudhary. So much so that rumours were afloat on Monday that Chaudhary had been summoned to Delhi by senior leaders. He had to take to social media to refute the rumours.
Kamal Nath meets Chouhan
Meanwhile, in a political gesture, ex-chief minister Kamal Nath met CM Chouhan on Monday to extend congratulations to him on BJP’s win. He was accompanied by son Nakul Nath. Speaking to the media persons later, Nath said that he congratulated Chouhan.
“He had come to meet me when I became the CM, so I too did so. I have told him that we might be in opposing parties, but we will do everything required for the development of the state. There are big issues like unemployment, agriculture sector problems and economic activities, for which steps are needed.”
As for reasons of loss, Nath said that he has called a meeting of all the candidates of the party and will discuss the matter with them. “We would study the loss,” Nath said, adding that he was not leaving Madhya Pradesh nor was he going to Delhi.
“I will go for only two-three days to meet Rahul Gandhi and (party chief) Mallikarjun Kharge."
