The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is likely to give the responsibility of the chief minister's post to new faces in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh, news agency ANI reported on Wednesday. In the recently concluded assembly polls, the BJP snatched Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh from Congress and retained Madhya Pradesh for yet another term.
There are reports that the BJP may replace sitting Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh, and deny the top position to former CM Vasundhara Raje in Rajasthan. Vasundhara Raje has served as chief minister of Rajasthan twice. In Chhattisgarh, too, the saffron party is likely to go beyond Dr Raman Singh, who held the post for 15 years.
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On Tuesday, Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that he was not in the race for the chief minister's post. "I had not been a contender for the chief minister earlier, nor am I one today. As a party worker, I have always carried out whatever work the BJP assigned me to the best of my ability, with dedication and honesty," he said.
Multiple names are doing rounds for the chief minister's post in three states. In Rajasthan, the probable candidates are Vasundhara Raje, Gajendra Shekhawat, Baba Balaknath, Diya Kumari, Arjun Ram Meghwal, Kirodi Lal Meena, and CP Joshi.
CP Joshi is a two-time MP from Chittorgarh and the sitting BJP chief in Rajasthan. Vasundhara Raje, who is hailed as the first woman CM of Rajasthan and has been the party's face in the state for more than two decades, won the Jhalrapatan seat by 53,193 votes.
Diya Kumari is the granddaughter of Gayatri Devi. Previously, she was an MP from Sawai Madhopur. She is known for social work and was initially considered as an outsider in Sawai Madhopur.
For Madhya Pradesh, the names that are doing the rounds are those of Jyotiraditya Scindia, VD Sharma, Narendra Singh Tomar, and Kailash Vijayvargiya. Scindia has left Congress after a power tussle with then chief minister Kamal Nath.
In Chhattisgarh, Raman Singh is the tallest BJP leader as he delivered the state for the party fourth time. He has been a member of the Chhattisgarh Assembly since 2004 and also served as a Minister of State in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led government in 1999. He was also appointed the National Vice President of the BJP in 2018.
However, the saffron party is reportedly looking for a new leader in the state. BJP chief Arun Sao, Renuka Singh, former BJP state chief Vishnu Deo Sai, and Ramvichar Netam are among the leaders in contention for the top post. Arun Sao has represented the Bilaspur Lok Sabha constituency for three consecutive terms and has a strong influence among OBCs.