Assembly poll results: No clarity yet on CM choice in four states

New Delhi: The election results are out but there is no clarity on who will be the chief minister of four states (Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, and Rajasthan), as both the BJP and the Congress had not announced their CM faces.

Shivraj Singh Chouhan is likely to return as Chief Minister in Madhya Pradesh, as he steered the party to a victory fighting anti-incumbency.

Though his name was not officially announced as the face, the BJP now cannot overlook Chouhan for the top post, especially him being an OBC, and with Prime Minister Narendra Modi issuing an appeal in his name close to the elections. Interestingly, Chouhan’s name did not appear in the first three lists of candidates.

As the party fielded several senior MPs, there was also speculation about Narendra Singh Tomar and Prahlad Patel getting the job. Jyotiraditya Scindia, who did not contest the polls, was also a name that was doing the rounds, but it is unlikely for the BJP to choose someone else.

In Chhattisgarh, former chief minister Raman Singh, state BJP president Arun Kumar Sao, leader of opposition Dharamlal Kaushik, and former IAS officer O P Chaudhary are seen as potential candidates for the top post. Other than Singh, all three are OBCs. Singh was also not announced as the face.

All eyes will be on Rajasthan where Vasundhara Raje is considered as the prominent chief ministerial candidate. However, the BJP is tightlipped about the leadership’s choice. 

A Revanth Reddy is the frontrunner for the Telangana Chief Minister post while sources said Bhatti Vikramarka could be the Deputy Chief Minister. Former Telangana Congress president Uttam Kumar Reddy is also an aspirant.