Form of words:
IIndia is now a story of two kinds of chief ministers – the rising stars of regional parties tightening their grip on politics with every election, and the unstable state faces of two big national parties who are likely to collapse like a pack of cards. When their high command decides.
With the rise and rise of Chief Ministers such as Arvind Kejriwal, Mamata Banerjee and Jagan Mohan Reddy, the weakness of Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief ministers continues to grow, with their high command weeding them out and looking for more ‘beneficial’ replacements. Huh. when needed.
Trivendra Singh Rawat of Uttarakhand and B.S. of Karnataka Yediyurappa Top leadership of – Vijay Rupani of Gujarat and now Amarinder Singh of Punjab National Parties had no hesitation in sidelining and removing him due to political compulsions or whims. And, even though there are some stalwarts like Yediyurappa and Capt., who have clout, even the latter managed to win the Congress election in the face of the Narendra Modi wave.
Compare it with other Chief Ministers, the doer of regional parties like Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal, Arvind Kejriwal in Delhi, Jagan Reddy in Andhra Pradesh, MK Stalin in Tamil Nadu TeaThey are slowly gaining a national face and stature, serving as a stiff opposition to the Modi-led BJP and emerging as a fierce challenger.
Read also: Electing Channi as Punjab CM brings back political potential in Congress game
the uncrowning
The bigger underlying question is whether a CM’s face is important before an election, and whether the vote is for that face, the party or the party supremo like Modi or Gandhi. There is no easy answer to these, and it is often more situation/state-specific than the general pattern.
But what is clear is that both the national parties – the Congress and the BJP – are inclined more towards the terms set by the high command, and the chief minister To a large extent used as a prop. populism, demonstration, the five-year trajectory for the states the national parties follow, And Back to populism. Essentially, put up the face of a winnable chief minister before the election, watch the performance once elected, and then just before the next election, go back to populism and release the chief minister if he proves to be more than an asset. Happening.
The BJP removed three chief ministers one after the other – Trivendra Singh Rawat, Yediyurappa and Vijay Rupani. Meanwhile, Congress has replaced Amarinder Singh in Punjab Charanjit Singh Channi, and is grappling with an uncertain leadership struggle in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.
Rawat and Rupani may have been political lightheads, but what cannot be denied is how powerful Amarinder Singh and Yeddyurappa have been politically and electorally. but thenHe puts the reins in the hands of the Congress and BJP high commands, leaving even the most powerful at their mercy.
Certainly, the Congress has always had a strong high command structure, where everyone except Gandhi was powerless beyond a point. But removing a CM who managed to win you, one of the three states that you are in power, and when you yourself are not in a position to win votes, is something else. in the other two states NS Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, Ashok Gehlot and Bhupesh Baghel continue to sit on the edge of their seats, wondering when the top command might train their guns on them. After all, the chief minister who leads from the front and wins the election can be toppled, so how can the elected people sit with confidence in the midst of a fierce power struggle?
Meanwhile, the BJP boasts of strong state leaders – from Modi himself to Shivraj Singh Chu.heyUhaan, Raman Singh, Vasundhara Raje, and now Yogi Adityanath – but seems now satisfied with playing the musical chair to his CM. With the departure of three chief ministers, Haryana’s Manohar Khattar is probably spending some anxious days waiting for ‘the’ phone call. Shivraj Singh Chooheyuhan owes him chief minister’s chair Top leaders of their party have to do more in this tenure.I His line, as done by Basavaraj Bommai of Karnataka.
These two CMs of BJP under control Yogi Adityanath and Himanta Biswa are Sarma, but Yogi has an election next year that will determine his fate and Sarma should also not feel that confidence. after all, His predecessor Sarbananda Sonowal was not elected as Chief Minister for a second term, even though NS BJP won the election with him as CM.
Read also: Eight out of 20 CMs elected by Modi-Shah had to vacate the seat. But it’s not a bad strategy
sharp contrast
MMost of the Congress and BJP chief ministers are losing power today and are holding their ground, politically if not electorally.
On the other end of the spectrum are CMs who are leaders of regional parties. Mamata Banerjee has managed to keep the mighty BJP out of her state, and is successfully punching a lot more than the weight of a small, regional CM. team. Arvind Kejriwal is yet another leader who has managed to keep his ground tight by being loud and vocal against for Modi.
Jagan Mohan Reddy is doing great in Andhra Pradesh, recently local body elections Serving as another reminder of the same. In Tamil Nadu, Stalin has surprised many with his first CM tenure 100 days The success story is proving to be in power.
Politically and electorally, the chief ministers of regional parties are getting stronger, their profile rising, while the chief ministers of national parties are a shadow of themselves.
As Mamta and Jagan emerge as leaders in their own right, the division is becoming more pronounced and widening, while Amarinder begins to veer towards the periphery.
Ruhi Tiwari tweeted @RuhiTewari. Thoughts are personal.
(Edited by Neera Mazumdar)
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