After BJP’s victory in Chhattisgarh, discussion is going on regarding the names of Chief Minister and ministers. Along with old stalwarts, women MPs and MLAs are also in the race to become CM and ministers. There is discussion that the state can get a new CM from tribal or OBC quota. Apart from this, the discussion of giving priority to the choice of RSS is hot in the political circles.
Although four names are leading in the race for CM, there is talk that BJP can also bring back Maharashtra Governor Ramesh Bais and give him the command of Chhattisgarh. Vijay Baghel’s name has also been added to this list. At the same time, the name of Dr. Purnendu Saxena has been put forward by the Sangh. In such a situation, there is speculation that some Sangh campaigner will be sent to Chhattisgarh like Haryana. Governor Ramesh Bais can also be a contender.
Ramesh Bais, 7-time MP from Raipur, is currently the Governor of Maharashtra. Before this, he had also been the Governor of Jharkhand and Tripura. Started politics in 1978 as a councilor from Raipur Municipal Corporation. He was also a member of Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly from 1980 to 1984. After this, he was elected MP from Raipur for the first time in 1989. Bais has also been a minister at the Centre.
The name of Dr. Purnendu Saxena may surprise you.
There is talk that Sangh pracharak Dr. Purnendu Saxena may be RSS’s choice for the post of Chief Minister. Dr. Purnendu is a well-known orthopedic specialist of Raipur and has been associated with the Sangh since childhood. The name of Dr. Purnendu, who has held many positions in the Sangh, can also be put forward by RSS for the post of CM.
4 names are already running in the CM race
After BJP’s victory, many speculations are being made about the face of the new CM. Many undeclared claimants are also creating atmosphere for the post of CM. The names of former Chief Minister Raman Singh, former State President Vishnudev Sai, Union Minister of State Renuka Singh, MP and State President Arun Sao are going forward.
However, the name of Durg MP Vijay Baghel has also been added to the list of contenders. On the other hand, the name of Sangh Pracharak Dr. Purnendu Saxena is also in discussion. It is believed that like in Haryana, RSS can surprise by bringing a preacher here too.
First contender- Raman Singh, former Chief Minister
Even though the BJP suffered a major defeat in the 2018 state elections in Chhattisgarh under the leadership of Raman Singh, he is the most recognized face of the BJP in the state. Till a few months ago, there was talk in political circles that Raman Singh, who was the Chief Minister for the longest period, was being sidelined.
Putting an end to all these discussions, Raman Singh again remained the face of BJP in the elections. Election experts are of the opinion that Singh’s role in the party’s ticket distribution for the state elections was quite evident. Raman Singh had the upper hand in ticket distribution. Raman Singh led the party as Chhattisgarh BJP State President and became the Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh for the first time in 2003. Became Chief Minister for the second time in 2008 and for the third time in 2013. Presently he is holding the responsibility of National Vice President. In this election, Raman Singh has won from Rajnandgaon seat only.
Apart from the massive anti-incumbency wave in 2018, alleged corruption, lack of coordination between the BJP organization and the party’s government, tilt of OBC votes in favor of the Congress were cited as the reasons for the defeat. However, in this election the party did not present the CM face and tried to rely on Modi’s popularity to return to power in the state.
Before the elections, in the year 2021 itself, Raman Singh had submitted his claim for the post of CM. He had said that there is no dearth of faces in Chhattisgarh BJP, there are many faces in the state for Chief Minister and one of them is my face, a small one….The other contender is Vishnudev Sai – Former State President, BJP.
Even after being removed from the post of State President, Vishnudev Sai accepted it with positivity and continued working actively. Congress made Sai’s removal an issue of insult to the tribals, but Sai himself silenced his opponents by replying to it. He had said that what did the BJP not give to the son of a small village farmer like me. Giving the responsibility of MLA twice, MP four times, Union Minister of State and State President twice is no less. The party has given me more than I expected. For this I express my heartfelt gratitude to the party.
This was the reason why the party made him its candidate from Kunkuri assembly in the elections and he won. Not only this, during the assembly election campaign, Union Minister Amit Shah had talked about making Vishnudev Sai a big man, after which speculations are being made that Sai can be the face of the post of Chief Minister.
Third contender- Renuka Singh, Union Minister of State
In the year 2003, Renuka Singh won the MLA election from Premnagar seat. She was made the Minister of Women and Child Development in the first BJP government. After this, Renuka won the assembly elections in 2008 also. Renuka reached the center after winning the Lok Sabha elections in 2019. Now he is the Union Minister of State for Tribal Affairs.
Like him, after winning the 1999 Lok Sabha elections, Dr. Raman became the Minister of State for Commerce and Industry in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government at the Centre. In 2003, he was made the CM of the state. During the election campaign, Renuka Singh, while discussing with the media from the stage, had said that the workers fondly call CM Didi. Fourth contender – Arun Sao, MP and State President.
Arun Sao was given the responsibility of state president just a year ago. In such a situation, there was very little time to strengthen the bond between the organization and the workers, yet by visiting the state, Sav recharged the workers. Many big demonstrations took place against the government throughout the year. The central leadership also appreciated the work of SAW.
Due to being the OBC face of BJP in the party, Sao’s claim for the post of CM is very strong. Sao became MP for the first time by winning the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. He started his politics from student life. He was associated with Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). In the elections, the party made him contest from Lormi seat and Saav won. He is included in the race for Deputy CM.
According to senior journalists of the state, BJP can implement the Deputy CM formula in Chhattisgarh. In such a situation, the names of BJP leaders like Ram Vichar Netam, Brijmohan Aggarwal and Kedar Kashyap are included in the race for Deputy CM.
Possible ministers of BJP
After finalizing the name of the Chief Minister, BJP leaders will make the names of the ministers public. The names of Dharamlal Kaushik, Ajay Chandrakar, Rajesh Munat, Ram Vichar Netam, Kedar Kashyap, Lata Usendi, Vijay Sharma, Dharamjit Singh and OP Chaudhary are included in the race for the post of minister. CM and ministers will be made keeping in mind the 15 years.
According to the state’s senior journalist and political analyst Utchiya Sharma, BJP in Chhattisgarh will finalize the names of the Chief Minister and ministers keeping in mind the next 15 years. In this regard, a round of meetings is going on from Chhattisgarh to Delhi. The brainstorming is going on keeping all these things in mind that there should not be any kind of separation before the Lok Sabha elections.
Name announced after supervisor’s meeting
According to top BJP leaders, a team of observers along with Bharatiya Janata Party state in-charge Om Mathur and co-in-charge Nitin Nabin will reach Raipur on December 8, after which a meeting of the legislative party will be held. After this meeting the name of the Chief Minister will be officially announced.
2 BJP MPs resigned
BJP had fielded MPs Arun Sao, Gomti Sai, Vijay Baghel, Renuka Singh in this assembly election. After winning the elections, Arun Sao and Gomti Sai have resigned from the membership of Lok Sabha. BJP state president Arun Sav has been elected from Lormi, former Union Minister of State Renuka Singh has been elected from Bharatpur-Sonhat and Gomti Sai has been elected from Pathalgaon assembly seat. Vijay Baghel, who lost from Patan, will remain MP for the time being. BJP observers may come to Raipur tomorrow: Decision regarding Chhattisgarh CM possible; Parliamentary party meeting ends in Delhi. The ongoing BJP parliamentary party meeting in Delhi regarding the Chief Ministers of three states including Chhattisgarh has ended. As soon as the meeting started, PM Modi was honored for this victory. During this, PM Modi said that this is not my victory, but the victory of the entire team. Here, there is news that observers appointed by BJP can come to Raipur tomorrow along with Om Mathur and Nitin Nabin. The name of CM has almost been decided. In Raipur, these observers will poll the MLAs, after which the names will be announced.
