A week after the BJP’s resounding win in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, the question of its chief ministerial faces continues to hang over the party. But breakthroughs are soon expected in this regard, with the BJP’s legislature party meetings being lined up.
The party had not declared its CM candidate before last month’s Assembly elections. And now, it is being said that the BJP would go for an Other Backward Class (OBC) or a tribal CM if it decides to ignore the claim of three-time CM Raman Singh for the job.
Former Union ministers Vishnu Deo and Renuka Singh as well as former state ministers Ramvichar Netam, Lata Usendi, and Gomti Sai are being seen as contenders from the tribal community.
State BJP chief Arun Sao, who resigned as an MP after being elected as an MLA, and bureaucrat-turned-politician O P Choudhary, both from the OBC communities, are also among the potential CM candidates.
As the race for the Chhattisgarh CM’s chair hots up, here are the CM candidates’ profiles by Jayprakash S Naidu.
BSP 2024 strategy meet
Reacting to the recent poll results on X, BSP chief Mayawati on Monday had said the “one-sided results” have made people “apprehensive, astonished and worried”. She went on to announce a party meeting to discuss the 2024 Lok Sabha election strategy on Sunday.
In a series of posts, Mayawati said there was a “feeling that there would be a close fight” during the election campaign in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Telangana. “The results were completely different,” she said.
Asking her party members not to be “disheartened by the results”, she had said, “All people of BSP fought this election with full strength… They should not be disappointed by such a result and keep trying to move forward by taking inspiration from the life and struggles of Babasaheb Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar.”
The BSP failed to register its presence in these polls, even amongst its core Dalit or Scheduled Caste (SC) base. It failed to win or even finish as the runner-up in any of the SC seats, and finished with an overall vote share less than 4% in each state.
In fact, the SC constituencies also saw a swing in favour of the BJP in the recent state polls. Of the 98 SC-reserved constituencies in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Telangana, the BJP won 57 seats, while the Congress managed to get 40. In 2018, the BJP had won 32 of these seats and the Congress 45. You can read Anjishnu Das’s analysis of the parties’ performance in SC seats here.
Punjab AAP welfare scheme
The big conversation this poll season has been about the range of welfare schemes that parties across the spectrum – from the BJP to the Congress to the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) — have all pitched to the voters.
For the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), its much-touted welfare model of schools and healthcare were said to be among the factors that propelled it to power in Punjab, beyond its home turf of Delhi.
On Sunday, Delhi CM and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann will be in Ludhiana to launch a new scheme called Bhagwant Mann Sarkar Tuhade Dwar, which is aimed at providing “citizen-centric services to people at their doorsteps”.
Malwinder Singh Kang, chief spokesperson of the AAP’s Punjab unit, said the scheme would offer 43 services to people, including providing certificates of birth, marriage, death, helping with electricity bill payment and land demarcation.
Under the scheme, he said, people can schedule their appointments by dialling the helpline number —1076 — and get their work done.
Other events
Union Home Minister Amit Shah will chair a meeting of the Eastern Zonal Council in Patna on Sunday. Issues like minimum price for a number of minor millets, creation of infrastructure, water sharing are expected to be discussed.
The Eastern Zonal Council comprises the states of Bihar, West Bengal, Odisha and Jharkhand. The CMs of these states along with senior ministers and officials are expected to attend the meeting.
Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankar will attend the 46th convocation of the IIT-ISM, Dhanbad.
— With inputs from PTI
Aisha Patel is a dedicated Indian correspondent with a deep understanding of the nation’s diverse affairs. With a background in Indian culture, politics, and current events, she provides in-depth analysis and timely reporting on domestic issues within India.
