CHOUHAN, RAJE, RAMAN SINGH MAY BE INDUCTED INTO UNION CABINET

The BJP has already identified potential future leaders for Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.

There is intense speculation regarding the possible induction into the Union Cabinet of three Bharatiya Janata Party Chief Ministers in the event of the saffron brigade losing the three Hindi-speaking states that recently went to the polls. Most of the exit polls have predicted that the Congress enjoyed a clear edge in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, though doubts over the findings of the agencies responsible for the psephology exercise would continue to remain till the final outcome is officially declared on 11 December by the Election Commission.

Sources in the BJP stated that the party’s central leadership was now looking solely at the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, and would do whatever it would take to enter the electoral arena with a recharged organisational set-up. It is in this context that there is conjecture over the future of the three Chief Ministers—Vasundhara Raje, Shivraj Singh Chou- han and Raman Singh. The trio is considered indispensible, if one has take into consideration the Parliamentary polls, given their sound comprehension of ground realities. Their participation in the poll process would augment the efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is the most revered political gladiator in the Sangh Parivar.

It is more or less certain that Chouhan, Vasundhara and Raman Singh would be relieved of their state responsibilities once the Lok Sabha confrontation is over. The party’s central leadership has already identified potential future leaders who could be gradually groomed to take over the pivotal responsibility. The three are considered to be appointees of the Atal Bihari Vapayee era, and though Modi has allowed them to continue in office, for him and Amit Shah, they are considered replaceable in the visible future.

Sources said that the BJP’s compulsion at this stage was that the Union Cabinet was packed with leaders who belong to the Rajya Sabha. Now with Sushma Swaraj and Uma Bharti declaring that they would not be in the fray in 2019 and with the sudden passing away of Ananth Kumar, the Sangh’s leadership would have to look for other options. The three CMs have served the party with distinction, and if they join the Union Council of Ministers, they would bring to the table their immense experience and deep understanding of how a government works.

It was in September last year that Modi had gone in for his third reshuffle, wherein he promoted four ministers, including Nirma- la Sitharaman, Piyush Goyal, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Dharmendra Pradhan to Cabinet rank. In addition, he inducted nine Ministers of State while simultaneously accepting the resignations of six others. The hypothesis in the political circles was that the fourth re-jig of the Cabinet may take place prior to the winter session, but it appears that it would happen either midway or after Parliament adjourns in January.

In fact, an expansion anytime now would enable the Prime Minister to bring in the best possible talent, without having to worry about getting them a berth in the Rajya Sabha, since a minister has to be inducted in either House of Parliament within six months of his appointment. The Lok Sabha polls would take place sometime in April and May, and, therefore, no new minister would need to be brought into either House.

However, the BJP’s adversaries view the possibility of a reshuffle differently. They believe that it is the Prime Minister’s Office that con-