Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Lobbying for the post of chief minister is taking place in the state after 33 years.
After the BJP formed a government in 1990, the state witnessed a tug-of-war between former chief minister Sunderlal Patwa and Kailash Joshi for the post of CM.
The BJP leaders are lobbying for the post this time again. When the BJP formed a government in 2003, it was decided that Uma Bharti would be the chief minister.
In 2008 and 2013, the party leadership decided to give command of the state to Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
The BJP could not form a government in 2018. When the party returned to power in 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the name of Chouhan as Chief Minister.
Because the BJP did not name anyone as chief ministerial face before the election, many leaders are contesting for the post.
Although the names of Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Union Ministers Narendra Singh Tomar, Prahlad Patel and Jyotiraditya Scindia, BJP’s national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya, and party’s state president are doing the rounds for the post, the central leadership may spring a surprise.
According to sources, the name for the post of chief minister may be decided in a day or two, and a meeting of the BJP legislative party may be held on December 7 or 8.
Sources further said the party leadership would announce the names for the post of chief ministers in MP, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan on the basis of caste equations.
But it is sure that the one of the three states will get an OBC chief minister. A tribal candidate may also take over as CM.
Differences have cropped up between the two groups – one is in favour of Chouhan for the top job and the other is supporting the candidature of Vijayvargiya and Patel. The second group is opposed to giving another chance to Chouhan as CM, but VD Sharma has refused to take sides.
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