NEW DELHI: Of the three Bharatiya Janata Party chief ministers on test in the current Assembly elections, it is the performance of Madhya Pradesh’s Shivraj Singh Chouhan that will be closely watched on counting day.
If he defies most exit poll projections that have predicted his downfall and gets a fourth term in office, his stature in the party is expected to get a huge leg-up.
Having been chief minister for 13 years since 2005, his feat will surpass that of even Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who helmed Gujarat for the same number of years.
That comparison may be odious though because it was on the Modi wave that the BJP captured power at the Centre with an unprecedented performance in 2014. Modi’s stature leapfrogged after that and he remains the party’s unchallenged leader.
But Chouhan is seen within the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh as a potential national leader with a mass base. He also has the added advantage of having secular credentials and is acceptable to allies.
The Madhya Pradesh CM is already a pivotal figure in the party. He is the only satrap who is a member of the parliamentary board, the party’s highest decision-making body.
“In the event of a win, Chouhan will continue to be the Chief Minister, there’s no doubt about that,” said a top-ranking BJP leader.
That Chouhan is a future prospect was also evident in the election campaign. The RSS extensively mobilised its manpower to face a spirited Opposition onslaught.
But a loss would considerably diminish Chouhan’s standing.
“A loss will be disappointing as he would have to look for a place in Team Amit Shah,” the BJP leader said.
Chouhan was also kept in check by the Modi-Shah duo.
“The state unit’s affairs were the sole preserve of Chouhan until the advent of Modi-Shah. The CM was overruled even in the choice of the state unit chief for which Shah had-picked Lok Sabha MP Rakesh Singh despite both being OBCs,” said another BJP leader.
Chouhan could also not get a free hand in the ticket distribution for the Assembly polls with the likes of BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargia calling the shots.
“The ticket distribution could have been better if the Central leadership had been more accommodative of Chouhan. But if he still pulls through he will be a force to reckon with in national politics,” said another BJP leader.
Kept in check
Chouhan was also kept in check by the duo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah. He could not get a free hand in the ticket distribution for the Assembly polls