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Express News Service
NEW DELHI: Amid a day of intense speculation over who will be the chief ministers of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, many elected MLAs, including former Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje, met the top leadership of the BJP reportedly to lobby for the CM post.
With the hectic parleys still underway, party sources said the names of the three chief ministers will be known by Sunday. “How can anyone announce the names without appointing observers to states and without holding the legislature party meeting? The BJP goes by the book, not by hearsay. Wait by Sunday evening, almost everything will be clear as the central leadership is on the job,” said a source.
Raje had reached Delhi late on Wednesday night, creating a buzz that she would meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and BJP president J P Nadda on Thursday. For the record, however, Raje said she came to Delhi to meet a member of her family.
Renuka Singh, who on Thursday resigned as Union minister of state for tribal affairs, met Nadda and had a 30-minute discussion. The meeting sparked speculation that she is a strong contender for the Chhattisgarh CM post. Singh had contested from the Bharatpur-Sonhat constituency and won. Speaking to reporters, Singh, however, claimed that she was not in the race for CM. She belongs to a tribal community and holds immense influence. According to BJP sources, choosing her will help the party in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
The other names doing the rounds within BJP circles are former CM Raman Singh, who served Chhattisgarh for 15 years, and bureaucrat-turned-politician O P Chaudhary. Some BJP leaders feel Chaudhary has better chances as he is a strong OBC face and enjoys the trust of both Modi and Shah. Meanwhile, Rajasthan MLA Mahant Balaknath Yogi also met senior BJP leaders in Delhi. According to party insiders, the BJP’s central leadership has a tough job in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh with multiple influential contenders lobbying for the hot seat.
Apart from Raje, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Ashwini Vaishnaw, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, and Arjun Meghwal are in the race in Rajasthan. Notably, incumbent Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chauhan, who has developed a strong vote bank in the state, has chosen to stay back instead of rushing to Delhi to meet central leaders. Pralhad Singh Patel, Narendra Singh Tomar, Rajendra Shukla, and Jyotiraditya Scindia are the other contenders for the CM post in MP.
What happens nextThe BJP is expected to name central observers for electing the leaders of its legislature parties in MP, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan on Friday. The observers will travel to the states to oversee meetings of newly elected MLAs, who will formally name the CMs Follow channel on WhatsApp
NEW DELHI: Amid a day of intense speculation over who will be the chief ministers of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, many elected MLAs, including former Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje, met the top leadership of the BJP reportedly to lobby for the CM post.
With the hectic parleys still underway, party sources said the names of the three chief ministers will be known by Sunday. “How can anyone announce the names without appointing observers to states and without holding the legislature party meeting? The BJP goes by the book, not by hearsay. Wait by Sunday evening, almost everything will be clear as the central leadership is on the job,” said a source.
Raje had reached Delhi late on Wednesday night, creating a buzz that she would meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and BJP president J P Nadda on Thursday. For the record, however, Raje said she came to Delhi to meet a member of her family. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });
Renuka Singh, who on Thursday resigned as Union minister of state for tribal affairs, met Nadda and had a 30-minute discussion. The meeting sparked speculation that she is a strong contender for the Chhattisgarh CM post. Singh had contested from the Bharatpur-Sonhat constituency and won. Speaking to reporters, Singh, however, claimed that she was not in the race for CM. She belongs to a tribal community and holds immense influence. According to BJP sources, choosing her will help the party in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
The other names doing the rounds within BJP circles are former CM Raman Singh, who served Chhattisgarh for 15 years, and bureaucrat-turned-politician O P Chaudhary. Some BJP leaders feel Chaudhary has better chances as he is a strong OBC face and enjoys the trust of both Modi and Shah.
Meanwhile, Rajasthan MLA Mahant Balaknath Yogi also met senior BJP leaders in Delhi. According to party insiders, the BJP’s central leadership has a tough job in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh with multiple influential contenders lobbying for the hot seat.
Apart from Raje, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Ashwini Vaishnaw, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, and Arjun Meghwal are in the race in Rajasthan. Notably, incumbent Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chauhan, who has developed a strong vote bank in the state, has chosen to stay back instead of rushing to Delhi to meet central leaders. Pralhad Singh Patel, Narendra Singh Tomar, Rajendra Shukla, and Jyotiraditya Scindia are the other contenders for the CM post in MP.
What happens next
The BJP is expected to name central observers for electing the leaders of its legislature parties in MP, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan on Friday. The observers will travel to the states to oversee meetings of newly elected MLAs, who will formally name the CMs Follow channel on WhatsApp
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