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Change of guards in at least two BJP state units likely
In Andhra Pradesh, party chief K Hari Babu resigned on Monday while in Madhya Pradesh, chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan says state chief Nandkumar Singh Chauhan wants to be relieved of the duty.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is likely to witness a reshuffle in some of its state units, with change of presidents in at least two cases, ahead of the 2019 general elections, two leaders familiar with the matter said.
In Andhra Pradesh, party chief K Hari Babu resigned on Monday, paving way for a ‘revamp’ after the alliance with Telugu Desam Party ended last month over the latter’s special category status demand for the state. “He (Babu) was president for the past four years. A change was on the cards,” a leader in Delhi said.
In Madhya Pradesh, which goes to elections later this year, chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Tuesday that state chief Nandkumar Singh Chauhan wants to be relieved of the duty and concentrate on his Khandwa Lok Sabha seat.
Union minister Narendra Singh Tomar, and three state ministers — Narottam Mishra, Bhupendra Singh and Rajendra Shukla — are among probables for Nandkumar’s replacement.
One of the BJP leaders quoted above claimed change could also take place in Rajasthan, which too is slated for polls this year.
Bikaner MP Arjun Ram Meghwal, also a Union minister, is the front-runner to replace Ashok Parnami as state chief.
In both Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, the saffron party lost all the by-elections (two Lok Sabha and three assembly seats) to Congress earlier in February.
