On Saturday, the official handle of the Madhya Pradesh chief minister posted a picture of Chouhan with a message: “Sabhi ko Ram Ram (‘Ram Ram’ to all)”.
In the picture, Chouhan’s is seen with his palms brought together, sparking off speculation as “Ram Ram” is used both as a greeting as well as a parting message.
The post comes just two days ahead of a crucial meeting of the newly elected BJP MLAs in Madhya Pradesh who will select their leader in the presence of central observers.
The BJP had appointed OBC Morcha chief and Rajya Sabha MP K Laxman, Asha Lakra and Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar as central observers for Madhya Pradesh to oversee the CM selection process.
The move comes amid a strong buzz that BJP is likely to go for a new line of leadership in the three states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh where it recently won the assembly elections.
MP BJP chief VD Sharma said that the three observers will arrive in the state on Monday morning and meet all the MLAs at 4pm.
Following the meeting, the leader will be elected. “Invitations have been sent to the MLAs. The process of the party would be followed and a decision will be taken,” Sharma told reporters.
Asked about Chouhan’s tweet, he said, “This is (Lord) Ram’s country. On January 22, a grand idol of Lord Ram will be consecrated at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. We greet each other in the morning by saying `Ram, Ram’. It is our culture to start the day with the name of Ram.”
Another innings for Chouhan?
In Madhya Pradesh, uncertainty remains whether BJP will persist with the four-time chief minister, who played an important role in ensuring the party’s thumping victory.
Chouhan has maintained that he has “never been a contender for the chief minister post”. However, he and his supporters have also been crediting his flagship scheme ‘Ladli Behna Yojana’ for the party’s landslide win.
The saffron party contested the assembly elections this time without projecting Chouhan as its CM face.
It was after 20 years that the party did not name its chief ministerial candidate before polls in MP.
According to party insiders, the BJP might zero in on another Other Backward Classes (OBC) leader in case it replaces Chouhan, the longest-serving chief minister of BJP in India with a break of 15 months.
In such a condition, Prahlad Patel, a Lodhi who has been elected from Narsinghpur assembly seat and has resigned as Union minister, could become the frontrunner for the CM position.
Lodhis are a part of the OBC community. The BJP leadership has gone with OBC leaders for the top post in the state since 2003 when it projected Uma Bharti, a Lodhi.
The name of Narendra Tomar, who has been elected from Dimani and has since resigned as Union minister, was doing rounds for the CM’s post.
According to party insiders, BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya and BJP state chief V D Sharma are among other potential candidates.
All four big guns – Patel, Tomar, Vijayvargiya and Sharma – have already met Union home minister and BJP’s master strategist Amit Shah in New Delhi.
The BJP swept the assembly elections in the three Hindi heartland states on December 3. It won 163 of the 230 seats in Madhya Pradesh, recording a landslide two-third majority. In Rajasthan, the saffron party won 115 of the 199 seats where polling took place. Whereas in Chhattisgarh, it won 54 seats in the 90-member assembly.
(With inputs from PTI)Watch ‘Suspense ending soon’: Kailash Vijayvargiya on BJP’s CM picks for MP, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh