BJP’s win in three states boosts prospects for Raje, Chouhan and Raman Singh

After having been sidelined to now being contenders for the post of chief minister, the political fortune of senior BJP leaders Vasundhara Raje and Raman Singh has completely changed with the victory in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, too, is eyeing another term in office after the spectacular victory of the BJP in the state.

“No anti-incumbency wave was there in Madhya Pradesh. There is a pro-incumbency wave in Madhya Pradesh,” said MP CM Chouhan as BJP workers celebrated the election victory in the state.

Although a decision on the name of the chief minister of the three states will be taken by the parliamentary board on the recommendation of the legislative party meeting of the BJP’s Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs), the race to the top post is still open for the three BJP stalwarts who were sidelined by the party leadership during the campaign.

The caste factor in MP, Rajasthan

Senior leaders of the BJP believe that since the central leadership of the BJP asked Raje, Chouhan and Raman Singh to contest elections, these three BJP leaders have an equal opportunity to become the chief minister of their state again. Members of the BJP believe that there are other contenders for the top post as well, and the names of state leaders and union leaders will also come under consideration, but the three BJP stalwarts are certainly not out of the race.

“The fact that the BJP asked Raje, Chouhan, and Singh to contest makes them a natural contender for the post of chief minister. The BJP contested the election in MP when Chouhan was the sitting chief minister, so he cannot be ruled out. Raje is the senior leader of the BJP in Rajasthan, and Raman Singh has been a chief minister for three terms,” said a senior BJP leader, who is aware of the development.

Senior BJP leaders further elaborated that both Chouhan and Raje belong to the other backward classes (OBC) community, which makes them a strong contender for the top post because of the opposition strategy to focus on the promise of conducting a nationwide caste census or caste survey in states.

“We are aware that the opposition is going to make the caste census a major issue in the upcoming general elections. So, while taking a decision in the name of the chief minister, these issues will be considered by the parliamentary board of the BJP,” the BJP leader added.

Chhattisgarh: A tribal leader or an OBC

Speaking about the chief ministerial candidate of the BJP in Chhattisgarh, senior BJP leaders said that the choice is between a tribal leader or a leader who belongs to the OBC community. “The former CM Raman Singh is a contender for the top post, but some of the other considerations would be a tribal leader or a leader from the OBC community since Chhattisgarh has a substantial percentage of the OBC population,” the BJP leader said.

BJP Leaders also stated that while it was true that the party contested the assembly elections under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and no chief ministerial candidate was announced by the party, the result in the three states reaffirms that people have voted for the BJP because of the leadership of PM Modi.

“It has become clear that PM Modi can not only win the national polls for the BJP but also state elections for the party. PM remains the most popular leader of the BJP. The name of the chief minister will also be taken while looking at the Lok Sabha elections and how the BJP can consolidate its position further in these states,” added the BJP leader.