BHOPAL: Senior Congress leader in Madhya Pradesh Govind Singh on Wednesday came up with his interpretation of chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s exit from the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) parliamentary board, saying it was a signal that the ruling BJP could opt for a change of guard in the party’s state leadership
“The central BJP leadership has given a message to Chouhan that it is time for a change. Considering his experience, we used to think that he will move to the Centre after 2023 but now the party is not in a mood to keep him in key positions,” Singh, a seven-time legislator and leader of opposition in the assembly said soon after the BJP reconstituted its parliamentary board and central election committee.
A key change was that the BJP chief JP Nadda dropped the outspoken party leader, Union minister Nitin Gadkar, and Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
Gadkari hasn’t spoken on the change yet. Shivraj Chouhan hasn’t either but he did make it a point to tweet his congratulations to new members of the party’s two top committees.
Chouhan completed 15 years in office In March this year, becoming the longest-serving chief minister of a BJP-ruled state. He was inducted into the parliamentary board in August 2014.
{{/usCountry}}Chouhan completed 15 years in office In March this year, becoming the longest-serving chief minister of a BJP-ruled state. He was inducted into the parliamentary board in August 2014.
{{/usCountry}}Political commentator Dinesh Gupta appeared to agree with Govind Singh. “It is a major development in the politics of Madhya Pradesh and Chouhan’s removal from the board and CEC is a message of a possible change in the state leadership.”
“This decision is a dent in the political career of Chouhan and it will fuel rumours that he will not be a face of BJP in MP in the 2023 election,” he added.
Another political expert Girija Shankar said, “It is very hard to understand the logic behind this decision because Chouhan has been replaced by unpopular faces in the party but it will definitely change politics in MP. This is a very surprising decision of the party because Chouhan still has an image of mass and one of the popular leaders of the party.”
Most BJP leaders in Madhya Pradesh refused to comment.
BJP spokesperson Hitesh Vajpayee said, “This is a routine process and to give opportunities to new people is part of BJP’s policy. All the leaders are first among equals.”
Vajpayee also rebutted the Congress leader’s interpretation. “The speculation of a change in chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s position is baseless because there are many BJP CMs who are not a part of the board and CEC but this doesn’t mean that their positions are under threat. We are seeing this decision to imply that the party wants chief minister Chouhan to concentrate only on the 2023 election,” he said.