BHOPAL: A high level meeting chaired by chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan put it’s seal on appointment of 25 BJP leaders as heads and vice chairpersons of Nigam and Mandals (state boards/ corporations) in Madhya Pradesh on Friday evening.
The long pending exercise finally ensured the rehabilitation of at least nine former MLAs, seven of them ex-Congress MLAs, who had lost the November 2020 by-elections on BJP tickets, after quitting their old party in March 2020, to bring down the 15 months old Kamal Nath led Congress regime.
Six of these seven former Congress MLAs were union civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia loyalists, who were awaiting their political rehabilitation a year after their by-poll loss.
The seven Congress MLAs, who were appointed as heads or vice chairpersons of state corporations, included ex-ministers Imarti Devi (appointed head of MP Laghu Udyog Nigam), Aidal Singh Kansana (head of MP State Agro Industries Development Corporation Limited), Giriraj Dandotiya (MP Urja Vikas Nigam). Four other ex-Congress MLAs, among them Ranveer Jatav, Jaswant Jatav, Munnalal Goyal and Raghuraj Kansana too have been appointed as heads of state corporations.
These seven former Congress MLAs were among the 22 Congress MLAs, whose resignations from the Vidhan Sabha and their parent party had scripted the collapse of the Kamal Nath government in MP in March 2020. All these seven MLAs, however, had lost in the November 2020 by-elections on BJP tickets from the same seats they had won from as Congress candidates in 2018 assembly polls.
The two former BJP MLAs (all being originally from the saffron party), including Manju Dadu and Ramesh Khatik were appointed as vice chairpersons of state corporations/boards. Two BJP leaders, Rajendra Singh Mokalpur and who finished second in past assembly polls too have been appointed vice chairpersons of state corporations/boards.
Besides them, at least four former BJP organization leaders, including Shailendra Barua, Jitendra Litoria, Ashutosh Tiwari and Jaipal Chawda too have been appointed heads of state boards/corporations.
According to informed political sources, among the new appointees, maximum six each are CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan and union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia backers, while two are considered close to ex-CM Uma Bharti.
Senior state BJP leader Vinod Gotiya, who is considered close to BJP national president JP Nadda has been appointed the head of MP State Tourism Development Corporation.
Importantly, the BJP national general secretary (organization) BL Santosh during his visit to MP last month had asked for completing the long pending political appointments to state boards/corporations at the earliest.
The completion of long pending appointments to state boards/corporations by the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government assumes significance in view of the upcoming panchayat polls and future urban local body polls.
The posts of heads and deputy heads of state boards/corporations have been lying vacant since the Shivraj Singh Chouhan led previous BJP government had lost power in 2018 assembly polls. The successor Kamal Nath government had made a few political appointments to the boards/corporations, but most posts were still vacant.