Express View: BJP’s three new faces and the 2024 strategy

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The message for 2024 is this: The BJP will rely on the PM’s mass appeal, its ideological roots and their fruits – the Ram temple and abrogation of Article 370 – and caste arithmetic on the ground

BJPWith the announcement of relatively unknown leaders as the CMs and deputy CMs in the three states, it is apparent that those who helped the BJP establish itself in these regions are making way for a new generation.

For the first time in two decades, Vasundhara Raje is neither chief minister nor CM-in-waiting in Rajasthan. Shivraj Singh Chouhan – the longest-serving BJP CM – will not return to the office he worked so hard to retain for his party in Madhya Pradesh. It is, of course, imprudent to write off stalwarts like Raje, Chouhan and Chhattisgarh’s former CM Raman Singh. However, with the announcement of relatively unknown leaders as the CMs and deputy CMs in the three states, it is apparent that those who helped the BJP establish itself in these regions are making way for a new generation. Viewing this change of guard as an attempt to concentrate power with the central leadership – or cutting leaders down to size — would be an oversimplification. With the 2024 Lok Sabha polls on the horizon, the choice of CMs sends a clear message about the larger political strategy – and philosophy – of the Modi-Shah BJP.

Of the three, Vishnu Deo Sahai is perhaps the most recognisable figure – he is a former Union minister and has been president of the Chhattisgarh BJP. His elevation is being portrayed as an extension of the representation for the tribal community – after Draupadi Murmu became President of India – who constitute about 9 per cent of the national population. In MP, Mohan Yadav – three-time MLA and former state education minister – belongs to the dominant OBC community while his deputies, Rajendra Shukla and Jagdish Devda, belong to Brahmin and SC communities. In Rajasthan, CM-elect Bhajan Lal Sharma, a first-time MLA, is from the Brahmin community, while his deputies Diya Kumari and Premchand Bairwa are from the Rajput and Dalit communities. It seems the BJP has opted for a combination of caste and community appeal as well as regional balance within each state. But there is another factor at play – ideological loyalty. All three CMs are seen as being close to the RSS, and the Central leadership and are staunch supporters of Hindutva principles. The message for 2024, then, is this: The BJP will rely on the PM’s mass appeal, its ideological roots and their fruits – the Ram temple and abrogation of Article 370 – and caste arithmetic on the ground. For the CMs, though, the priority must be governance, the general election notwithstanding.

Mohan Yadav perhaps has the biggest shoes to fill. Chouhan served as CM for the better part of two decades and took MP from among the least developed states to above the national average, especially in the agricultural sector. The challenge for CM Yadav is to replicate his predecessor’s success in other sectors and ensure job creation. In Rajasthan, which has seen a growth in welfare schemes, balancing the former with fiscal prudence must be the focus for Bhajan Lal Sharma. Chhattisgarh too needs jobs and development – while remaining vigilant on the Naxal issue. To build their own legacy, the three CMs must now develop paradigms of governance.

© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd

First published on: 12-12-2023 at 9:08 pm IST

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