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BJP appoints observers to set ball rolling on CM picks
There is little clarity on the identity of the new chief ministers of the three states although there have been hectic behind-the-scenes parleys within the BJP all week
New Delhi The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday named observers for Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, setting in motion the process of selecting chief ministers for the three states where the party bagged impressive victories in recently concluded assembly polls.
The observers will begin the process of selecting the leaders of the legislative parties — an exercise that has till now been shrouded in suspense amid a flurry of meetings between top BJP leaders and quiet shows of strength by some aspirants for the job.
For Rajasthan, the party appointed Union minister Rajnath Singh, party general secretary Vinod Tawde and Rajya Sabha MP Saroj Pande as observers. Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, national secretary Asha Lakra and Rajya Sabha MP K Laxman will oversee the process in Madhya Pradesh. In Chhattisgarh, Union ministers Arjun Munda and Sarbanand Sonowal, and party general secretary Dushyant Gautam will take charge.
The observers will hold a meeting with the legislators over the weekend to arrive at the name for the legislative party leader, said a person aware of the details. This leader said the names will be announced after the meetings.
There is little clarity on the identity of the new chief ministers of the three states although there have been hectic behind-the-scenes parleys within the BJP all week.
People familiar with the matter in the BJP said that the party is likely to go for a generational shift in at least one of the three states, and perhaps all three.
In Rajasthan, the names doing the rounds include those of former CM Vasundhara Raje, who met party president JP Nadda on Thursday after hosting a dinner for legislators two days ago; three MPs who have resigned, Baba Balaknath (who met party president JP Nadda on Thursday), Diya Kumari, and Kirodi Lal Meena. Even the names of Union ministers Arjun Ram Meghwal and Ashwini Vaishnaw, both from Rajasthan, have come up.
Former Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh met Nadda on Friday, as did Baba Balaknath and Vaishnaw. There were no details of what transpired at the meeting.
According to a second party functionary, the central leadership did not approve of reports from the state about legislators calling on Raje to signal a show of strength. “She is a tall leader in the state with a following among the party workers as well people. In the past as well, when her supporters felt she was sidelined or not given her due, they had floated the Vasundhara Raje Samarthak Manch Rajasthan...” the second leader said.
This leader said the high command was concerned by reports of factionalism perpetrated by Raje. “She has strong likes and dislikes. In the past she made known her opposition to the appointment of Satish Poonia. In fact, during Rajnath Singh’s tenure as party president, she had a strained equation with him as well...” the leader said, requesting anonymity.
In Madhya Pradesh, apart from incumbent Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who is yet to make the trip to Delhi, the aspirants list includes former agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar and former culture minister Prahlad Patel, the two MPs who contested the assembly elections and won. Union civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, too, is a popular leader from the state who delivered the key Gwalior-Chambal region to the party though he did not contest the assembly polls.
There is a possibility that the party will appoint a deputy CM as well to accommodate senior leaders who were sent from Parliament to contest the state polls, said people aware of developments.
In Chhattisgarh, the party could opt for a woman, backward or tribal person, said people aware of developments.
Interestingly, Renuka Singh, a woman and a tribal, resigned as MP and Union minister on Thursday. But a second person said that this did not mean she was being named chief minister, only that she was among the candidates.
Other aspirants in Chhattisgarh also include Arun Sao, the state BJP chief who is among the lawmakers who resigned this week, first-time lawmaker OP Chaudhary and senior tribal leader Ram Vichar Netam. While the first person said former CM Raman Singh was not a candidate, the second person said he could not be ruled out.
