With the return to power of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has started writing the script to win Mission-2024. In place of former Chief Ministers like Vasundhara Raje, Shivraj Singh Chauhan and Dr. Raman Singh, new faces have been handed over the reins of power. Everyone has been surprised by electing Vishnudev Sai in Chhattisgarh, Mohan Yadav in MP and Bhajanlal Sharma in Rajasthan as Chief Minister. In this way, the old satraps of all the three states have been sidelined and the reins of power have been handed over to the new leadership to take the new generation forward.
BJP has laid the political chessboard to select the new Chief Minister in all the three states of MP, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan using the same script. In the Atal-Advani era, Vasundhara Raje, Shivraj Singh Chauhan and Dr. Raman Singh managed to establish themselves as regional satraps in their respective states. With the new turn in BJP’s politics, the party had started the effort to establish new leadership in place of the old satraps in these three states, but it was implemented only after the 2023 election results came out.
In the legislative party meeting, the three BJP satraps proposed the name of another leader of the party instead of becoming the Chief Minister themselves. In this way, BJP has handed over power in all three states to leaders close to the Sangh and associated with the party organization. Apart from this, the age of all the three leaders is less than 60 years and to create caste balance in all the three states, a formula has been kept to make two Deputy CMs each. In such a situation, let us tell how the old leaders were sidelined in all the three states and how the ground was prepared for the new generation?
Elections fought in the name of PM Modi
In the assembly elections of five states including Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, BJP did not declare any leader as the CM face. This time BJP had contested elections in the name and work of PM Narendra Modi. At the same time, if we look at the electoral history of these three states in the last two decades, BJP has been contesting elections by putting forward Vasundhara in Rajasthan, Shivraj in MP and Raman Singh in Chhattisgarh.
But this time BJP did not put forward any Satrap, although by fielding him from his traditional seat, he kept the hope of becoming the CM alive. The way BJP got a huge majority after the election results, the central leadership wrote the script of handing over the command of power to new faces in place of old faces.
Sangh background of all three CMs
The biggest similarity between Madhya Pradesh CM Mohan Yadav, Chhattisgarh CM Vishnudev Sai and Bhajan Lal Sharma, who is going to become the Chief Minister of Rajasthan, is the background of the Sangh. All three leaders have been close to the Sangh. Vishnudev Sai has been associated with RSS’s Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram. Bhajan Lal Sharma and Mohan Yadav started their political journey from ABVP.
Along with holding various positions in ABVP, he has also been working for the Sangh. Mohan Yadav’s father has also been associated with the Sangh while Bhajanlal Sharma has close relations with the people of the Sangh Parivar. In this way, BJP has handed over the post of Chief Minister to leaders associated with Sangh Parivar in all the three states.
The age of all three CMs is less than 60 years.
The leaders whom BJP has selected for the post of Chief Minister in all the three states are below 60 years of age. Bhajanlal Sharma is currently 55 years old and Mohan Yadav is currently 58 years old. Chhattisgarh CM Vishnudev Sai is 59 years old. Whereas, Vasundhara Raje is 71 years old, Shivraj Singh Chauhan is 64 years old and Dr. Raman Singh is 71 years old. This was the reason why BJP, in order to prepare a new leadership for the future, replaced the old leaders with new and fresh faces. In this way, by making Chief Ministers below 60 years of age, new leadership has been created in the states for at least 10 to 15 years.
Same formula of power in all three states
BJP has adopted the same formula for government formation in all the three states. Along with the CM, BJP has made two Deputy CMs in all the three states so that the caste balance can be maintained. Apart from this, BJP has also decided the speaker in all the three states. In Chhattisgarh, CM has been given to tribal community and Deputy CM has been given to OBC and Brahmin caste.
In Madhya Pradesh, OBC community was made the CM and Brahmin and Dalit community were made Deputy CMs. In Rajasthan, CM was elected from Brahmin community and Deputy CM was elected from Dalit and Rajput community. In Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, the speaker has been elected from the Rajput community, while in Rajasthan, the speaker’s chair has been handed over to the leader of the Sindhi community. In this way, BJP has taken a bet to solve the political equation of all the three states through CM and Deputy CM.
All three satraps proposed CM
BJP adopted the same formula to select the Chief Minister in all the three states. BJP appointed observers keeping in mind the political equations and satraps of the states so that no resentment of any kind could come out. Apart from this, BJP’s chieftain, who was considered a CM contender, was persuaded by observers to propose the name of the new CM in the legislative party.
In Madhya Pradesh, Shivraj Singh Chauhan proposed the name of Mohan Yadav, while in Chhattisgarh, Raman Singh proposed the name of Vishnudev Sai for the new CM. Similarly, Vasundhara Raje proposed the name of Bhajan Lal Sharma in Rajasthan. In this way, even the MLAs supporting the Chhatrapas could not protest even if they wanted to, because the name of the CM was proposed by their own leader.
2024 elections and future leadership
The way BJP has taken the gamble of making new faces the Chief Minister in place of old leaders and has taken care of the caste equation, one thing is clear from the fact that along with winning the political battle of 2024, BJP has also made plans for the future in the states. There is an intention to create a new leadership. The age of all three new CMs is less than 60 years. They fit perfectly into the caste equation of their respective states.
The party made the CM from the tribal community, the largest population of Chhattisgarh. OBCs constitute 52 percent of the voters in MP, due to which the CM has been elected from OBCs only. Apart from this, after 33 years a CM has been made from the Brahmin community in Rajasthan. In many states of BJP, the Deputy CM is from the Brahmin community, but there was no CM. In this way, BJP has created a strong equation by placing the command of power in the hands of Brahmin community in Rajasthan. BJP has created a strong equation for 2024.
Low profile leaders at all three places
Instead of handing over the post of Chief Minister to a high profile leader, BJP has handed over the post of Chief Minister to a low profile leader in all the three states. The leaders whose names have been approved for the post of Chief Minister of all the three states, started their political innings as ordinary workers from BJP. Through ABVP, he has worked on different positions in local organization and state organization. By making a grassroots leader in the organization the Chief Minister, BJP has tried to give a political message to other party leaders and workers that working for the party is rewarded. This has awakened new political hope among the workers.
