Suspense over BJP CMs: Some out-of-box names also emerge ahead of D-day
Vibha Sharma
Chandigarh, December 8
The BJP has appointed observers to oversee the procedure for the selection of the new chief ministers of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, BJP general secretary Vinod Tawde and Saroj Pandey will oversee the procedure with elected MLAs in Rajasthan, Haryana Chief Minister ML Khattar, Asha Lakra and BJP OBC cell chief K Laxman in Madhya Pradesh and union minister Arjun Munda, Sarbanand Sonowal, and general secretary Dushyant Gautam in Chhattisgarh.
While the biggest suspense is regarding the political future of the two former chief minister Vasundhara Raje in Rajasthan and Raman Singh in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Chouhan, some out-of-box names are also doing the rounds in the Delhi power corridors apart from the usual suspects like MPs-turned-MLAs and a couple of Union ministers.
They include Speaker Om Birla and state president CP Joshi in Rajasthan and Rajya Sabha member from Madhya Pradesh Kavita Patidar.
Out-of-box choice
BJP leadership is known to spring surprises, whether it is the selection of a chief minister or the President of the country. It is also said that only two people in the party—Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah—know the exact position, the rest all is speculation.
When BJP chose Om Birla to head the Lok Sabha affairs in 2019, many were taken by surprise. To be elected the Speaker of the Lok Sabha in the second term of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi was a major landmark in the political career of the two-time Lok Sabha member.
Representing the Kota parliamentary constituency since the 2014 general elections, Birla’s steady rise in BJP ranks was attributed to various reasons, including his closeness to party’s ideological fountainhead Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and closeness to PM Modi and then party president Amit Shah. It remains to be seen whether Birla’s career will take another interesting turn towards state politics but sources vouch for his continued closeness to the who’s who in the party and their complete trust and faith in him.
Generational shift, freshness
According to BJP leaders, what the senior leadership is aiming for is a generational shift to infuse newness and freshness in the three key states ahead of the Lok Sabha elections next year. The aim is also to give representation to all sections—women, tribals, OBCs and upper castes. A reason why the name of a prominent woman leader representing women and tribal communities is doing the rounds for Chhattisgarh.
Sources say the names of the new chief ministers for Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan may be announced over the weekend, perhaps Saturday as the “day signifies stability”.
The BJP is planning to hand over the responsibility to new faces but Chouhan, Raman Singh andRaje “remain among the top contenders for the post in respective states”.
In Chhattisgarh, front-runners include Renuka Singh, Vishnu Deo Sai, Lata Usendi, Gomti Sai, Arun Sao and Ram Vichar Netam. In Madhya Pradesh, the list of probables has Union ministers Prahlad Patel, Jyotiraditya Scindia and Narendra Singh Tomar and Kailash Vijayvargiya.
In Rajasthan, there are Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, CP Joshi, ‘Yogi of Rajasthan’ Baba Balak Nath, Kirori Lal Meena, Arjun Meghwal and Diya Kumari.
Meanwhile, “MPs-turned-MLAs can all hope for good Cabinet berths”.
