The message from the BJP came through loud and clear: the party organisation will have the last word in the state. The BJP has made it clear that, getting a ministerial berth is not anybody’s birthright. Many a well-established leader has been kept out of the Cabinet during its expansion, on Thursday.
Most of them have been ministers for nearly 10 years. The party has shown preference for those who have never been in the ministry, despite continuously winning elections.
The Scindia-loyalists have had lion’s share of the ministerial berths. It is because of the by-elections and that of the key role of Scindia in the ministry expansion, the state BJP leaders had to keep mum over their choice.
Sixteen legislators from the BJP have been inducted into the Cabinet. Of them, nine are new faces. The party organisation discussed with Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan about giving preference to the new comers instead of the old hands.
It was thought that former ministers would be inducted into the Cabinet. Nonetheless, only seven former ministers have been given berths in the Cabinet. Most of the new comers in the ministry work on the lines of the party organisation.
Usha Thakur was elected from Indore seat-1 for the first time in 2003, but did not get ticket in 2008. Thakur was fielded from Indore- 3 in 2013. Her constituency was changed in 2018 when she was fielded from Mhow.
Although Thakur’s seat was changed several times, she won the elections, so the party rewarded her this time by giving her a ministerial berth.
On an earlier occasion too, the BJP made a strategy to keep the senior leaders off the ministry, but they mounted pressure on the party leadership and each got a berth.
This time, however, the party stuck to its guns. Instead of Gourishanker Bisen, his close aide Ramkishore Kanwre has been inducted into the cabinet.
Paras Jain from Ujjain seemed to have been set in stone in the ministry, but now, in place of him, Mohon Yadav has been accommodated.
A leader like Arvind Bhadauria who has been working for the party for years was given a Cabinet berth. Similarly, party workers like Inder Singh Parkar and Prem Singh Patel, are in the ministry. Getting a cabinet for a five-time MLA like Patel has been a dream come true for him.
Therefore, the senior party leaders should make a room for their junior counterparts. Those working for the party for long time naturally have large number of supporters. Since such people remain in the ministry for longer period some regions are left unrepresented in the Cabinet.
Now, it is the party’s responsibility to make the use of those senior leaders who have been kept out of the Cabinet. The organisation can woo those leaders by assigning them various duties, that they may remain active.
Those who have been inducted into the ministry were covertly told that the fresh candidates can be given an opportunity.
