Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai along with Deputy CMs Arun Sao and Vijay Sharma chairs the first cabinet meeting at Mahanadi Bhawan in Nava Raipur
It was surprise after surprise as the names of the newly elected Chief Ministers were announced in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan after nine days of secretive deliberations. Going by the Bhartiya Janata Party’s strategy of picking up the fresh faces, the suspense ended even more dramatic when the new names were unheard of to be in the race for the top post, leaving behind the big names of several former chief ministers like Vasundhara Raje, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, and Raman Singh. The surprising selection of totally fresh faces has raised several eyebrows among political observers and party insiders. But the selections, described as coming “out of left field,” are strategically aligned with the BJP’s overarching plan to balance caste and class dynamics in the run-up to the 2024 general election.
In Chhattisgarh, where tribal communities constitute a significant 32 per cent of the population, the BJP has opted for a tribal leader, Vishnu Deo Sai, as the Chief Minister, reflecting the party’s intent to appeal to tribal voters and strategically position itself as a tribal-friendly face in neighbouring states with sizeable tribal populations, such as Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Odisha.
New Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister – Mohan Yadav ( Middle)
Similarly, in Madhya Pradesh, a key battleground, where the BJP had to accommodate various communities, the appointment of Mohan Yadav as Chief Minister, representing the Yadav community (another Other Backward Class), is seen as a move to court voters in politically crucial states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, where the Yadav’s play a significant role. The BJP’s delicate balancing act also involves appointing Deputy Chief Ministers from different communities, including a Dalit and a Brahmin.
New Rajasthan Chief Minister : Bhajan Lal Sharma
In Rajasthan too, Bhajanlal Sharma, who hails from the upper Brahmin caste, was the most surprise pick as the Chief Minister-designate, adding to the intrigue surrounding the BJP’s selections, since Rajasthan and Vasundhara Raje have been synonymous for years now. Bhajanlal was definitely a shocker. He is considered close to the party’s ideological mentor, the RSS, and its chief, JP Nadda. He has worked for the party for the past 20 years. This marks an end to a 25-year-old trend where Rajasthan only witnessed Congress leader Ashok Gehlot and former chief minister Vasundhara Raje taking turns to rule the state.
The current selections of Chief Ministers indicate a strategic move towards a broader regional spread of different communities and castes. These decisions, which impact the composition of leadership in three crucial states, underscore the party’s meticulous planning to consolidate support ahead of the 2024 elections.
The BJP has carefully tried to balance the caste arithmetic in all three states. In Rajasthan, Bhajanlal Sharma is Brahmin, while his deputies are Diya Kumari (Rajput) and Prem Chandra Bairwa (SC). In Madhya Pradesh, CM-designate Mohan Yadav hails from the OBC community, Deputy CM Rajiv Shuka is a Brahmin, and Jagdish Devda hails from the SC community. Similarly, in Chhattisgarh, Vishnu Deo hails from the tribal community, and his two deputy CMs, Vijay Sharma and Arun Sao, belong to the OBC and Brahmin communities, respectively.
With this, the party has tried to send a big message to the party cadre ahead of the big Lok Sabha battle in 2024 that anybody can get the big responsibility in the cadre-based party. This is also a message that the BJP is not a dynastic party where everybody has an equal chance. The move will strengthen the party cadre with the belief that any party worker will be elevated based on performance. The BJP has certainly hit the bullseye with their masterstroke of surprise selection at various levels. One, these election results are seen as the trailer for the 2024 general elections, second, boosting the moral of the workers to work with sincerity to reap in benefits, making it clear that it no family run party and everyone stands a chance to take up big responsibilities!
