BJP may follow Madhya Pradesh template for other poll-bound states

The party plans to field Union ministers and lawmakers in upcoming polls in MP, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh, following a successful template in MP.

The Bharatiya Janata Party’s decision to field three Union ministers and several lawmakers in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh is being seen as a template that it will follow in other states, particularly Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh that will go to the polls at the end of the year, party functionaries familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.

Fielding Union ministers and lawmakers is also expected to blunt anti-incumbency against the sitting legislators (PTI)

In addition to these three states, Mizoram and Telangana will pick new assemblies by the year-end. While the party has released a list of 79 candidates for Madhya Pradesh, it has also released a list of 21 in Chhattisgarh, where one sitting MP, Vijay Baghel, and a former MP, Ramvichar Netam have been fielded.

According to senior BJP functionaries, the party will take a call on fielding senior party leaders, including Union ministers and lawmakers depending on various factors including how strong its chances are of winning a particular constituency.

“Take the case of Kailash Vijayvarghia, who has been given a ticket to contest from Indore-I in Madhya Pradesh, it is a seat that is considered to be a bastion of the Congress. This shows the party wants to deploy a strong leader with a mass base to put up a fight and wrest the seat for the BJP,” said one party functionary, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The functionary said the party’s decision to field lawmakers and ministers also rests on the demographics of the constituency in question. “There are caste and community considerations that play a role in deciding the tickets. In Narendrapura, Narendra Patel has been given a ticket because of his family’s clout with the OBC community...”

In Rajasthan too, the decision to field lawmakers or Union ministers will be need-based. “There are some leaders who have been sounded out and asked to begin preparations on the ground,” said a second leader.

Fielding Union ministers and lawmakers is also expected to blunt anti-incumbency against the sitting legislators and send out a message that the party takes feedback seriously.

Nominating lawmakers for assembly polls will also serve to bolster the generational shift in the party. The BJP has an unwritten rule of discouraging those over 75 years from contesting polls and holding offices, though there have been exceptions such as Karnataka strongman BS Yeddyurappa.

“If more sitting MPs are fielded as assembly contestants, then newer faces will get a chance in the 2024 polls,” the second leader explained.

After Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s suggestion to Rajya Sabha MPs to consider contesting at least one direct election, there has been speculation that several Union ministers, including some cabinet ministers, may contest the 2024 Lok Sabha polls or be given a ticket from their respective states.

“PM Modi during his interaction with party leaders over the course of the year had suggested that those members who have served more than one term in the Rajya Sabha should consider contesting a direct election. This was seen as a message to many to gear up for electoral battles,” said the first functionary cited above.