Chief Ministerial Race in 3 States Sees Veterans Competing, but BJP Likely to Opt for Fresh Faces

In the aftermath of decisive victories in the Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh Assembly polls, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is considering the possibility of appointing new Chief Ministers in these heartland states, as per party sources. The selection process is expected to factor in considerations for the upcoming 2024 general elections. Despite having experienced former Chief Ministers—Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Vasundhara Raje, and Raman Singh—who secured re-election in all three states, the BJP leadership is contemplating a potential generational shift while deciding on Chief Ministerial appointments.

Following the recent Assembly election outcomes, a substantial four-and-a-half-hour meeting took place at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence, where key contenders in the three states were deliberated upon. The meeting, attended by Prime Minister Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and BJP chief JP Nadda, comes after a series of discussions led by Mr. Shah and Mr. Nadda with the BJP’s in-charges for the states to gather feedback about potential leaders.

The central leadership of the BJP is likely to assign observers for the three states soon. These observers will oversee meetings of the newly elected MLAs in each state to facilitate the election of their leaders in the Assembly.

In Madhya Pradesh, potential candidates for the Chief Minister post include the incumbent Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Union ministers Prahlad Patel, Jyotiraditya Scindia, and Narendra Singh Tomar, along with senior state leader Kailash Vijayvargiya.

Similarly, Rajasthan sees various contenders for the top post, including former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, 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.

In Chhattisgarh, contenders for the Chief Minister position include former Chief Minister Raman Singh, State BJP president Arun Kumar Sao, leader of the opposition Dharamlal Kaushik, and former IAS officer O P Chaudhary.

It is important to note that the BJP leadership has a history of surprising choices in such appointments.