BJP CMs for MP, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh could be from gen-next

Almost five days after getting a decisive mandate in the recently concluded assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, the BJP’s central leadership is mulling the possibility of having new faces as the chief ministers in these three states.

Though the names of the chief ministerial candidates have not been finalised by the party leadership, the names of the three observers may be announced on Friday, and a legislative party meeting of the MLAs will be organised over the weekend.

“The possibility of new faces as the chief ministers of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Rajasthan could not be ruled out. We may witness a generational shift in all three states as the BJP leadership did not name a chief ministerial candidate in the course of the assembly elections,” said a senior BJP leader in the know of the development.

Senior BJP leaders believe that there is a large section among the central leadership who are of the view that new leaders must be given a chance to lead the three states. Among the frontrunners for the post of Chhattisgarh chief minister is Union MoS for Tribal Affairs Renuka Singh who recently contested assembly elections for the Bharatpur-Sonhat seat.

“If the central leadership was considering the names of Raman Singh, Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Vasundhara Raje Scindia for the post of the chief minister, it would not have taken five days. The names would have been announced much earlier. It is taking time because new names are being contemplated,” said the BJP leader.

Weighing options

The BJP is weighing its options in Chhattisgarh and deliberations are on whether to go for a tribal face or OBC leader for the top post. State BJP president, Arun Sao, who recently resigned from the Parliament, is also a candidate for the CM’s post, as he was made the state president because he is from the OBC community and the party has won the assembly polls under his leadership.

“The choice of chief minister in Chhattisgarh is easier than in other states because the central leadership is keen that either an ST or OBC leader becomes the chief minister,” said the senior BJP leader quoted above.

In the race for the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, it seems the contest is between two leaders of the OBC community. The first candidate could be former Union minister Prahlad Singh Patel who comes from the OBC community. He recently resigned from the Union cabinet amid the buzz that he is one of the frontrunners for the CM’s post. Even as new candidates are being considered for the top post in Madhya Pradesh, sitting chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is also a strong contender for it.

Rajasthan riddle

The political situation in the BJP’s Rajasthan unit seems to be a little more complicated as there is a section of MLAs who are in favour of Vasundhara Raje Scindia as the chief minister. However, the delay in announcing the name of the next chief minister may fuel factionalism within the party. The problem for the BJP started after some MLAs decided to stay in a resort on the outskirts of Jaipur.

“I had gone to bring back Lalit Meena from Apano Rajasthan Resort. Dushyant Singh, son of Vasundhara Raje, took him along. Kanwarlal, an MLA tried to stop me, asking me to first talk to Dushyant. A total of five MLAs were there at the resort,” said Hemraj Meena, senior leader and former state vice-president of BJP.

Raje, who is in Delhi, met BJP president JP Nadda on Thursday evening. Though it is yet to be known what transpired in the meeting, senior BJP leaders also met the Lok Sabha MPs from Rajasthan to discuss the name of the new chief minister. Apart from Raje, other names that are being considered for the top post in Rajasthan are Union ministers Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Ashwini Vasihnaw.

“If we see the names that are being considered by the central leadership of the BJP for the post of chief minister in the three states, all the new names are that of the people who have worked with Prime Minister Narendra Modi closely in his council of ministers and know how the Union government functions. The experience of working at the Centre will help the new candidates function better in states,” said a senior BJP leader in the know of the development.