BJP’s Surguja show raises prospects of Chhattisgarh getting its first tribal chief minister

The fluidity of the situation in Rajasthan has thrown up an interesting cast — the most prominent of them being the monk MP from Alwar Baba Balaknath, who won from Tijara. His image as a hardline Hinduva warrior — he belongs to the same Nathpanthi sect as UP CM Yogi Adityanath — is supplemented by his OBC Yadav background.

In Chhattisgarhthe party has senior faces among its winners, but none of them can claim to be a serious contender.

Few of them saw the victory coming and none of them, not even Raman Singh, who served as CM for three terms but appeared to be a reluctant warrior, are in a position to stake a claim. BJP’s emphatic win in the seats reserved for tribals — it won all 14 in Surguja district — has raised the possibility of the state getting its first tribal CM, a move that, like the elevation of Droupadi Murmu as President, may have resonance among tribals in other states, especially neighbouring Jharkhand which looks a realistic prospect for the party. PM Narendra Modi’s speech, where he acknowledged the support of tribals, has already set off speculation along those lines, but the party has other options too.
If BJP looks for a tribal face, Vishnu Deo Sai, a former Union minister and state BJP president, is seen to be a strong contender.