- BJP won 115 seats in Rajasthan.
- In Madhya Pradesh BJP won 163 seats.
- BJP won 54 seats in Chhattisgarh.
- Congress won 64 seats in Telangana.
The hot talk of ‘Who will be the next Chief Minister of Rajasthan’ is currently revolving around four names: Two-time Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, controversial Mahant Balak Nath, Rajsamand MP Diya Kumari and Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat are vying for the top 4 posts in Rajasthan.
The two-time chief minister won the Jalrabathan constituency by a margin of 53,193 votes over Ramlal of the Congress. Vasundhara Raje is credited as the first woman Chief Minister of Rajasthan and has been the face of the BJP in the state for over two decades.
Who is the next CM of the four states?
According to media reports, the BJP is not too keen on Raje becoming chief minister for a third term. However, he is still seen as someone who challenged patriarchal norms in Rajasthan and led public and private life on his own terms.
Another name being considered for the top post in Rajasthan is Gayatri Devi’s granddaughter and Rajsamand MP Diya Kumari. Earlier, he was an MP from Sawai Madhopur. He was known for his social work and was initially considered an outsider in Sawai Madhopur.
But Diya Kumari became popular in the constituency due to her development work. She belongs to the Rajput community. If the BJP wants to go Yogi Adityanath’s way in Rajasthan, Baba Palak Nath has a chance. Balak Nath was a Lok Sabha MP from Alwar, but contested from the Tijara constituency instead.
He is also hailed as the ‘Yogi of Rajasthan’ and is the head of the Baba Mastnath Mutt in Rohtak. Math runs a school in a university, hospital, medical college and other important institutions. Baba Balak Nath belonged to the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category.
Staying away from incendiary options, the BJP may also appoint Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat. Elected Lok Sabha MP from Jodhpur, Shekhawat is seen as a strong contender for the post of chief minister. During the election campaign, Shekhawat had a public spat with former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Khelat over the Sanjeevani Credit Union scam.
The BJP on Sunday won Madhya Pradesh with a landslide majority but did not announce who will lead the state to ensure victory in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Kailash Vijayvargiya and Jyotiraditya Scindia are among the possible names for the post of chief minister.
The longest-serving Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh was Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Chouhan, also known as ‘Mama’ by voters, contested the 2023 Madhya Pradesh assembly elections from Putni, his stronghold since 2006.
Scindia is actively campaigning in the state. But he has been saying that he is not interested in the post of chief minister. Kailash Vijayvargiya’s name is also mooted for the post of Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh. A 6-time MP, he has never lost an assembly election and has been in the state government cabinet for over 12 years.
He was in charge of the BJP’s Haryana election campaign in 2014, in which the saffron party won a majority in the assembly elections. After this feat, he was appointed BJP National General Secretary and the new BJP President in West Bengal in 2015 by Amit Shah.
Singh has been a member of the Chhattisgarh Assembly since 2004 and also served as a minister of state in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led government in 1999. He was also appointed as the National Vice President of BJP in 2018.
If the BJP wants a change, it is likely to pick state BJP president Arun Chao for the leadership post. Chao may be considered if the BJP is looking for an OBC face to become Chhattisgarh Chief Minister.
He has represented the Bilaspur Lok Sabha constituency for 3 consecutive terms so far and has a strong influence among the OBCs. State member for tribal affairs Renuka Singh, former BJP state president Vishnu Deo Sai and Ramvichar Netham could be considered.
After defeating the KCR-led PRS, the Congress is now faced with the dilemma of who will become the Chief Minister of Telangana. In Telangana, three prominent Congress leaders, Revanth Reddy, Uttam Kumar Reddy and Patty Vikramarka Mallu are in the fray to win.
As Telangana Congress chief, 54-year-old Revanth Reddy has been instrumental in leading his party to victory in the southern state. After being appointed as Telangana Congress president, he took the lead in many issues against the PRS government.
Another candidate who could be considered for the Congress supremo is former Telangana Congress president Uttam Kumar Reddy. Revanth Reddy was appointed as Telangana Congress President in his place. Despite this, Uttam Kumar Reddy is popular among party workers in the state.
Reddy is a former Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot and Lok Sabha MP from Nalkonda constituency. He served as an MLA from Kodad constituency between 1999 and 2009 and from Huzurnagar between 2009 and 2019.
