CM announcement on Friday; BJP faces uphill task selecting leaders

NEW DELHI: Even after majestically taking the whole of the heartland in their arms, ambiguity has not left the BJP camp with leaders stumbling in choosing the CM face for the three crucial states. In Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, the party faced the elections without announcing its chief ministerial candidates. The current effort is to appoint separate observers in each state and take a final decision by Friday.

Party observers will soon reach the three states to zero in on a particular leader. The trends among the populace will be studied and the opinions of MLAs will be sought. BJP roped in many senior leaders and MPs from parliament to contest in the elections and all of them won by huge margins. This has now created more room for consideration with senior leaders flaunting their strength for the BJP leadership to notice.

Shivraj Singh Chouhan may be given a fifth chance as he retained power with a two-thirds majority in Madhya Pradesh, which was expected to be a tough fight. Albeit the central leadership not being a fan of Chouhan, his colossal presence and terrific work to help the BJP get a landslide victory in Madhya Pradesh is something the saffron party leadership thing deserves to be rewarded.

Apart from Shiv Raj Singh Chouhan, the names of Union Ministers Jyotiraditya Scindia, Kailash Vijayvargiya, Union Ministers Prahlad Patel and Narendra Singh Tomar are also being considered. BJP state president VD Sharma is also among those being considered for the post of chief minister.

In Chhattisgarh, former Chief Minister Raman Singh tops the list of possibilities. BJP state president Arun Kumar Sao, Dharamlal Kaushal, leader of the opposition during the Congress government, and former IAS officer OP Chaudhary are also on the list of possible candidates.

Except Raman Singh, the other three are from the OBC community. This time BJP's vote share has increased, including from tribal areas, which was an erstwhile bastion for Congress party. If the party decides to have an OBC leader as the Chief Minister, Arun Kumar may win the lot.

In Rajasthan, former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje is close to making a return to the throne. Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Rajyavardhan Rathore are also on the consideration list. Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw is also a likely leader. But the Prime Minister is not interested in sending Ashwini Vaishnaw, who is performing well as Railway Minister, into state politics.