BJP MLAs Meeting Underway In Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Set To Get Its Chief Minister Soon

After naming Vishnu Deo Sai as Chhattisgarh's chief minister, all eyes are on Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan now. Who will BJP name the CMs in these states - will it be a new leadership or will veterans Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Vasundhara Raje have the last laugh?

Shivraj Singh Chouhan with Kamal Nath (pic: ANI)

The legislative party meeting of the Madhya Pradesh BJP is underway in Bhopal in presence of the three central observers- Manohar Lal Khattar, Dr K Laxman and Asha Lakra. Ahead of the legislative party meeting, a photo session of the 163 MLAs along with three observers was held today. The main contenders in the CM race are Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Prahlad Patel, VD Sharma, Narendra Singh Tomar and Kailash Vijayvargiya. 

The BJP on Sunday named Tribal leader Vishnu Deo Sai as the new Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, thus putting an end to speculations about who will bag the top job in the state. The focus has now shifted to the two big states of Hartland that BJP won comfortably in the Assembly Elections 2023 held in November - Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. 

Will it be former chief ministers and veteran leaders like Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Vasundhara Raje or will the BJP spring surprises with new names for chief ministers in these states? Amid the growing suspense, the BJP is scheduled to hold its legislature party meeting in Madhya Pradesh capital Bhopal on Monday and is likely to announce the CM for the state on the same day. 

Earlier on Sunday, BJP MLA Kailash Vijayvargiya met Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan at the Chief Minister's residence in Bhopal. Madhya Pradesh went to poll for 230 assembly seats in a single phase on November 17 and the counting of votes was done on December 3. The BJP, which had been battling close to 20 years of incumbency in the state, won a resounding mandate, bagging 163 seats, while the Congress finished a distant second at 66 seats. 

According to reports, for Rajasthan, the three observers - Union Minister Rajnath Singh, party General Secretary Vinod Tawde and Rajya Sabha MP Saroj Pande - are likely to convene the legislative meeting of newly-elected MLAs on Tuesday. Sources say that while the BJP is likely to opt for a new line of leadership in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan as they did in Chhattisgarh, incumbent Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan and former Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje remain strong contenders.