The BJP will choose its Chief Ministers for three heartland states — Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh — with an eye on the 2024 Lok Sabha election, party sources have said, adding that new faces may be chosen in all three states.
The BJP won the Assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, results of which were declared on Sunday. The party’s central leadership has been holding discussions on the Chief Minister probables in the three states.
A four-and-a-half hour meeting was held at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence yesterday, during which the frontrunners in the three states were considered. The meeting was attended by the Prime Minister, Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP chief JP Nadda.
This marathon meeting followed a series of meetings held by Mr Shah and Mr Nadda with the BJP’s in-charges of these states to gather feedback about state leaders.
The BJP’s central leadership is likely to appoint observers for the three states soon. These observers will oversee meetings of newly elected MLAs in the three states to elect their leaders in the Assembly.
In Madhya Pradesh, incumbent Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is a contender for the top post, along with Union ministers Prahlad Patel, Jyotiraditya Scindia and Narendra Singh Tomar, and senior state leader Kailash Vijayvargiya.
Several names are doing the rounds for the Rajasthan top post too. While former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje has been elected as an MLA, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Union Ministers Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Arjun Ram Meghwal, state party president C P Joshi, and prominent leaders Diya Kumari and Mahant Balaknath are being seen as probables.
Former Chief Minister Raman Singh is among the contenders in Chhattisgarh. State BJP president Arun Kumar Sao, leader of opposition Dharamlal Kaushik and former IAS officer O P Chaudhary are also being seen as contenders for the Chief Minister post.
It must, however, be kept in mind that the BJP leadership is known to spring a surprise with its choices.
