Assembly Elections 2023: A week has passed since the four states’ elections results were out, still uncertainty over Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh’s chief ministerial positions looms. Earlier on Friday, the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) has announced names of nine observers for the three states. The legislative party meeting for Chhattisgarh is scheduled to be held today while in Madhya Pradesh on 11 December and that of Rajasthan on Tuesday.
Will the CM candidate for the 3 states be announced today?
On 8 December, BJP National General Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya had said that the suspense over the Chief Minister pick in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh would end today i.e. on 10 December.
He had stated that a clear decision on CM candidates will be revealed by December 10, but refrained from disclosing whether the party will select leaders from the newly elected MLAs or bring in outsiders. “Ravivar ko khatm ho jaayega (It will come to an end on Sunday).”
Chhattisgarh BJP meet today:
A key meeting of the BJP’s newly-elected 54 MLAs in Chhattisgarh to pick the legislative party leader will be held today at 12 pm. The meeting is likely to end the suspense over who will be the next chief minister of Chhattisgarh.
“The BJP’s legislative party meeting will take place on Sunday. The party’s three observers – Union ministers Arjun Munda and Sarbananda Sonowal, and party general secretary Dushyant Kumar Gautam – will be present,” the party’s state unit president Arun Sao told reporters on Saturday, as quoted by news agency PTI.
When asked about the meeting of BJP MLAs, BJP’s Chhattisgarh in-charge Om Mathur said, “Our party’s observers are coming and we are waiting for the decision they take (at the meeting on Sunday”.)
It is speculated that the party may go for an OBC or a tribal CM if it doesn’t pick party stalwart Raman Singh, who had served as CM thrice from 2003 -2018. Contenders from the tribal who are seen as probable pick are Former Union minister Vishnu Deo, Renuka Singh, who resigned as Union minister after being elected as an MLA, former state ministers Ramvichar Netam and Lata Usendi, and MP Gomti Sai.
State BJP chief Arun Sao, who too resigned as an MP after being elected as an MLA, and bureaucrat-turned-politician O P Choudhary, both from Other Backward Classes (OBC), are also among potential CM candidates.
BJP to hold legislature party meeting in Bhopal tomorrow
BJP is set to hold its legislature party meeting in the state capital Bhopal tomorrow i.e. on 11 December at 4 pm and is also likely to announce CM for the state on the same day. Shivraj Singh Chouhan is expected to be the prime face for the CM of the state. His welfare schemes in MP helped the party maintain its dominance in the state. Other names on the list of possible CM candidates are Prahlad Singh Patel, Minister of State for Food Processing Industries, BJP National General Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya, and even Jyotiraditya Scindia.
Election results 2023:
The saffron party managed to remain in power in Madhya Pradesh after ruling the state for more than 15 years. On the other hand, it toppled the government in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. In Chhattisgarh, BJP won 54 of the 90 seats while Congress won 35 seats. In Rajasthan, BJP won 115 of the 199 seats and Congress with 69 seats while in Madhya Pradesh, the party won 163 seats while the Congress won 66 seats.
Meanwhile, in the midst of the appointment of chief ministers suspense in the three states, BJP president JP Nadda spoke to recently elected party MLAs in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh on 9 December and has asked them to get ready for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and take part in the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Vatra, leaders from the party familiar with the matter told Hindustan Times.
“Nadda ji in his address to the new MLAs said the BJP is planning a Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra in every constituency of Chhattisgarh, in which the local MLAs and leaders will be inducted to create awareness and propagate the policies and programmes of the Modi government,” one of the newly elected MLAs in Chhattisgarh said as quoted by HT.
(With inputs from agencies)
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Published: 10 Dec 2023, 06:59 AM IST