NEW DELHI: One week after it trounced Congress in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh in what has been billed to be the semi-final for the 2024 contest, BJP leadership continues to sit tight over its choice for CMs of the three heartland states.
As anxiety, even restiveness in a few quarters, continued to rise, the leadership has preferred to be unmoved in what is seen by many as possibly a deliberate signal to those who have styled themselves as rightful claimant and disabuse them of the notions of indispensability.
On Saturday, political circles had looked forward to getting some clues from party chief J P Nadda’s virtual address to party MLAs in Rajasthan. Nadda, however, chose to focus exclusively on the party’s Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra, a campaign by the party has launched around PM Narendra Modi‘s pledge to turn India into a developed nation by 2047 when the country would celebrate 100 years of independence.
The party chief’s “message of discipline”, sources, said could be meant to put across the simple message about the leadership’s priorities and that determination of the claims of the “CMs-in-waiting” could wait for a couple of days. The leadership’s stance reflects the assessment that it was PM Modi’s appeal that was central to the party’s win in the three states.In Rajasthan, the party’s stand has been strengthened by feelers it has got from at least 8 MLAs elected as independents. The eight who entered the fray upon being denied BJP tickets are: Chandrabhan Akya (Chittorgarh), Ravindra Bhati (Sheo), Priyanka Chaudhary (Barmer), Ritu Banawat (Bayana), Yunus Khan (Deedwana), Ganeshraj Bansal (Hanumangarh), Ashok Kothari (Bhilwara) and Jivaram Choudhary (Sanchore). They all were expelled from the party for contesting against official candidates but the party is open to letting them come back.
Their inductions can give the party cushion against any rumblings that its plan to effect a generational shift in Rajasthan, a bold desire that may hurt former CM Vasundhara Raje, may generate.
In Chhattisgarh, the return of former CM Raman Singh looks an unlikely prospect. Unlike in Rajathan, however, the party does not seem to be concerned about his response.
The unexpected victory in Rajasthan is attributed almost universally to Modi’s appeal and the leadership’s moves to encash it.
In Madhya Pradesh too, Shivraj Singh Chauhan remains on tenterhooks despite the party’s massive victory. A meeting of BJP’s newly-elected MLAs of Chhattisgarh has been convened on Sunday, while the exercise in Rajathan is likely to be scheduled for Monday.
As anxiety, even restiveness in a few quarters, continued to rise, the leadership has preferred to be unmoved in what is seen by many as possibly a deliberate signal to those who have styled themselves as rightful claimant and disabuse them of the notions of indispensability.
On Saturday, political circles had looked forward to getting some clues from party chief J P Nadda’s virtual address to party MLAs in Rajasthan. Nadda, however, chose to focus exclusively on the party’s Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra, a campaign by the party has launched around PM Narendra Modi‘s pledge to turn India into a developed nation by 2047 when the country would celebrate 100 years of independence.
The party chief’s “message of discipline”, sources, said could be meant to put across the simple message about the leadership’s priorities and that determination of the claims of the “CMs-in-waiting” could wait for a couple of days. The leadership’s stance reflects the assessment that it was PM Modi’s appeal that was central to the party’s win in the three states.In Rajasthan, the party’s stand has been strengthened by feelers it has got from at least 8 MLAs elected as independents. The eight who entered the fray upon being denied BJP tickets are: Chandrabhan Akya (Chittorgarh), Ravindra Bhati (Sheo), Priyanka Chaudhary (Barmer), Ritu Banawat (Bayana), Yunus Khan (Deedwana), Ganeshraj Bansal (Hanumangarh), Ashok Kothari (Bhilwara) and Jivaram Choudhary (Sanchore). They all were expelled from the party for contesting against official candidates but the party is open to letting them come back.
Their inductions can give the party cushion against any rumblings that its plan to effect a generational shift in Rajasthan, a bold desire that may hurt former CM Vasundhara Raje, may generate.
In Chhattisgarh, the return of former CM Raman Singh looks an unlikely prospect. Unlike in Rajathan, however, the party does not seem to be concerned about his response.
The unexpected victory in Rajasthan is attributed almost universally to Modi’s appeal and the leadership’s moves to encash it.
In Madhya Pradesh too, Shivraj Singh Chauhan remains on tenterhooks despite the party’s massive victory. A meeting of BJP’s newly-elected MLAs of Chhattisgarh has been convened on Sunday, while the exercise in Rajathan is likely to be scheduled for Monday.