3 CMs: BJP’s high command message

Established leaders have been made to step aside and new leaders chosen by Delhi

The choice of Chief Ministers for the three states of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, where the BJP won impressive victories in the recent Assembly elections, has the clear imprint of the party’s central leadership, especially of the power and authority of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. In all the three states, the established and known leadership has been cast aside and new leaders have been selected to lead the government. On Sunday, Vishnu Deo Sai, a tribal leader, was chosen as the next Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh. In the next two days, the names of OBC leader Mohan Yadav and first-time MLA Bhajan Lal Sharma were announced for the top positions in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, respectively. Though all the names were surprises, there are clear political plans behind each of them and these are for the longer term for the party.  

Vishnu Deo Sai has ministerial and organisational experience and his choice is being considered as a sign of the importance the party gives to the tribal community, which forms about 30% of the state’s population and 9% of the national demographics. It is also projected as an extension of the election of Draupadi Murmu as President. In Madhya Pradesh, Mohan Yadav belongs to the dominant OBC community and his choice is expected to have an impact in UP and Bihar, too. He also has two deputies, Rajendra Shukla and Jagdish Devda, who belong to the Brahmin and SC communities, bringing about a caste balance in the ministry. In Rajasthan, where forward castes have prominence in politics, Bhajan Lal Sharma is from the Brahmin community, while his deputies Diya Kumari and Premchand Bairwa are from the Rajput and Dalit communities. Apart from caste and community, regional representation has also been a factor in each state. 

The new Chief Ministers represent a generational shift for the party. Leaders of the Vajpayee-Advani era -- Raman Singh, Shivraj Singh Chauhan and Vasundhara Raje Scindia -- have been made to give way to new leaders. This was indicated even during the election campaign when these leaders were not projected as chief ministerial candidates. The new leaders are also ideologically rooted, with close links to the ABVP/RSS. The choices do not have any particular significance for the 2024 elections. The message actually is that the party will rely on the Prime Minister’s appeal, issues like the Ayodhya temple which will open next month, the Article 370 judgement and the caste balances and social engineering it has been working on. Another important message is that the BJP is also a party driven completely by the high command, with all important decisions coming from the top.