Sagar: The BJP's choice of Mohan Yadav as Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh might have come as a surprise to all and sundry but the decision, which had a stamp of approval from no other than Prime Minister Narendra Modi, came not as a move made in a hurry but keeping in mind Bihar elections.
It was a hard and possibly toughest choice for the BJP to ignore Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Madhya Pradesh's longest-serving BJP CM in any state ruled by the party. On Tuesday, the Congress took a dig at the BJP for naming Mohan Yadav as Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, alleging that there are many serious allegations against him, including large-scale manipulation in the Ujjain masterplan.
Taking a dig at the saffron party, the Congress asked if this was Prime Minister 'Narendra Modi's guarantee' for the state. Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh was quick to mock at the saffron party in a post on X. "Eight days after the election results, the BJP elected the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, a person against whom there are many serious allegations including large-scale manipulation in the Ujjain masterplan, he wrote.
The decision to leave out Chouhan surprised all and sundry as he leaves a legacy of a party loyalist who transformed MP from a BIMARU state to one with a GDP of Rs 13,22,000. He was at the helm for sixteen and half years spanning four terms in the top post. Besides, Chouhan was a five-time MP. According to poll analyst Jagdeep Singh Bais, the BJP's decision to pick up three unknown faces speaks volumes about its long-term plans. "Three unexpected party men in three winning states can be gambling for the BJP but the party has a reason to justify the decision. The decisions had the stamp of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who must have set his eyes on the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. The faces have been selected keeping the Lok Sabha elections in mind. Mohan Yadav became the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh keeping in mind the potential Yadav support base in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. This decision is an attempt by the BJP to weaken the SP and BSP vote bank in Uttar Pradesh and JD(U) and RJD vote bank in Bihar," Bais said.
When BJP announced Mohan Yadav as the Chief Minister, keeping aside all the conjectures, there was pervading silence among Chouhan's followers. Despite the presence of many veterans, relatively less experienced Yadav was chosen for the hot seat.
According to poll analysts, the decision is a well-thought-out one with an eye on the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. The timing is crucial especially when the INDIA alliance has already raised the issue of caste census issue. The BJP fears that this issue can harm the party's poll prospects in Hindi-speaking states which are considered to be the strongholds of the BJP.
In such a situation, the BJP must woo the big vote bank of OBCs and Yadavs who are in large numbers in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and almost every Hindi-speaking state. The BJP realises the mistake of ignoring the Yadavs past and the step has angered a large vote bank. Prahlad Patel's name was also doing the rounds for the post of Chief Minister. Such speculation got credence when he was asked to relinquish the chair of the Union Cabinet and contest the assembly elections.
After the formation of the BJP government, Patel was seen as the frontrunner for the post of Chief Minister. But Prahlad Patel was made to sit out and Mohan Yadav was picked up. The BJP's move came even though the Lodhi vote bank, which is considered a dedicated vote bank of the BJP, may get angry with the BJP. Uma Bharti, who was seen as a big Lodhi face, is already marginalised. Ignoring Prahlad Patel can increase the resentment among the Lodhi caste.
