Chhattisgarh CM Race: A Tribal Or OBC CM? 54 BJP MLAs Meet Today To Pick CM Candidate

The BJP may have a key breakthrough in Chhattisgarh where the party registered a surprise victory against Congress. Since the announcement of election results on December 3, the party has failed to pick up a Chief Ministerial candidate with multiple contenders vying for the post. The BJP appointed observers for the state earlier this week to ensure that no factional feud takes place within the party. The three observers are Union Ministers Arjun Munda, Sarbananda Sonowal and party general secretary Dushyant Gautam. The legislative party meeting will take place around 2pm and a decision is likely by this evening.

According to reports, the BJP may go for an OBC or a tribal chief minister if it doesn't pick party stalwart Raman Singh, who served as CM thrice from 2003 to 2018. The move to pick an OBC or tribal CM is part of the BJP's strategy for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Among the key potentical CM candidates are Vishnu Deo, Renuka Singh, state BJP chief Arun Sao, Gomti Sai, who resigned as MPs after being elected as an MLA, former state ministers Ramvichar Netam and Lata Usendi, and bureaucrat-turned-politician O P Choudhary.

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While Arun Sao and O P Choudhary are from Other Backward Classes (OBC), Vishnu Deo, Renuka Singh, Ramvichar Netam, Lata Usendi, and Gomti Sai are contenders from the tribal community. Picking a woman CM may give the BJP a weapon against the All India Trinamool Congress led by Mamata Banerjee which claims to have only woman CM in the country.

Now, the 54 newly-elected MLAs will meet in Raipur today to pick the legislative party leader in the presence of the three observers. Rumours abound regarding who will assume the role of the chief minister, given that the BJP participated in the recent elections without officially announcing any candidate for the CM position. BJP's Chhattisgarh in-charge Om Mathur, Union minister Mansukh Mandaviya and party co-incharge for the state Nitin Nabin will be attending the MLAs meeting. 

“The BJP's legislative party meeting will take place on Sunday. The party's three observers – Union ministers Arjun Munda and Sarbananda Sonowal, and party general secretary Dushyant Kumar Gautam – will be present,” said BJP state unit president Arun Sao yesterday.

In the recently held state assembly elections, the BJP won 54 of the 90 seats and the Congress 35. The Gondwana Gantantra Party (GGP) managed to win one seat. (With agency inputs)