‘Merely a squirrel’: Shivraj Singh Chouhan as plum BJP role awaits him
Aditi Tandon
New Delhi, June 6
“I am merely a squirrel that plays its role in nature as a seed and spore dispenser,” is what veteran Shivraj Singh Chouhan says when asked about signs of his imminent rise in the BJP.
All set for arrival in the capital on Friday amid hectic parleys between the BJP and NDA partners over contours of the new council of ministers, Chouhan, BJP sources say, is in for a plum role.
Though no one is sure yet what that role would be, insiders say Chouhan could fit any position he is given—BJP president, Cabinet minister and even NDA convener. A hunt for the new BJP chief is underway with incumbent JP Nadda’s term ending in mid-June. Nadda was given an extension of a year in January 2023. A BJP chief’s tenure is three years.
As far as Chouhan goes, the top factor favouring him is his ability to self-efface in both victory and adversity. On Tuesday as he emerged victorious from Madhya Pradesh’s Vidisha Lok Sabha seat with one of the highest victory margins of over 8.2 lakh votes in India, the ex-CM credited the win to “Modi magic”.
“Contrast this with December 2023 when Chouhan was replaced as Madhya Pradesh CM despite delivering an unexpected victory in the state poll. He did not sit at home and sulk. He hit the ground running with a pledge to make 29 lotuses bloom in the state. He kept his word by winning all 29 parliamentary seats for the BJP this year,” a Madhya Pradesh BJP source said, pointing to the RSS’ backing for the former CM,
who ran the state for 18 years starting 2005, except briefly when the Congress came to power in 2018 till a rebellion by Jyotiraditya Scindia
dislodged it.
Chouhan, sources say, not only has the skills to constantly rebrand— becoming a ‘gilahri’, ‘mama’, ‘sewak’ and much else—he also never creates shock negatives. “Even his rivals are on good terms with him,” a BJP leader says, adding that the 65-year-old can adapt to any role.
Moreover, he beat 18-year anti-incumbency to retain Madhya Pradesh in 2023, ensuring a fine blend of welfarism and Hindutva. Close to the RSS, Chouhan formed India’s first cow cabinet in November 2020 to ensure bovine welfare. He had earlier established the nation’s biggest cow sanctuary in MP.
Ahead of the 2023 state elections, when he sensed the ground shifting, Chouhan quickly drafted Laadli Behna Yojana, the first direct cash benefit transfer scheme for women in India, and romped home to a landslide win few had expected. Soon after, he was replaced as CM by newcomer Mohan Yadav.
