BJP picks new faces in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh: What does it mean for Vasundhara Raje?

NEW DELHI: After Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh has become the second state where BJP has decided to go for a fresh leadership in 2023.

On Monday, the party picked Ujjain South MLA Mohan Yadav as the new chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, a day after naming tribal leader Vishnu Deo Sai for the top post in Chhattisgarh.

Now, all eyes are on Rajasthan where the BJP is likely to announce its chief minister on Tuesday after its legislature party meeting.

Former CM Vasundhara Raje is one of the frontrunners in the state. However, BJP's decision in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh would be giving her anxious moments ahead of a formal announcement.

According to sources, BJP has decided to choose a new line of leadership in all the three states where it recently won the assembly elections.



Thus, despite being frontrunners in their respective states, both MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan and former Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh had to step aside to pave way for a new leadership this time.

The party's decision in Madhya Pradesh was especially surprising since names of many leaders had been doing the rounds over the last few days.

Four-time chief minister Chouhan was also a favourite since his schemes and policies were being credited for helping BJP secure a thumping majority in Madhya Pradesh in 2023.



Despite this, BJP opted to stick to its new leadership plan, a move that surely portends a bad sign for former Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje.

Unlike Chouhan who said he wasn't in contention in MP, Raje held a flurry of meetings with Rajasthan MLAs in the past few days to build consensus for her leadership.



After the election results, she even flew to the national capital to meet BJP president JP Nadda.

Besides Raje, the names of several leaders have emerged in Rajasthan as likely contenders for the top post.



Union railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union minister Arjun Meghwal, former Rajsamand MP Diya Kumari, Union minister and former Jodhpur MP Gajendra Singh Shekhawat as well as former Alwar MP Mahant Balaknath have emerged as frontrunners in the race.

Moreover, like Madhya Pradesh, BJP may well surprise everyone by picking a dark horse as the chief minister in Rajasthan. The suspense is likely to end on December 12.