A crucial meeting of the newly-elected 54 MLAs of BJP in Chhattisgarh will convene on Sunday to select the legislative party leader, potentially bringing an end to the suspense surrounding the next Chief Minister. Arun Sao, the state unit president, announced the forthcoming BJP legislative party meeting, which will be attended by the party's three observers — Union ministers Arjun Munda and Sarbananda Sonowal, and party general secretary Dushyant Kumar Gautam, who arrived in Raipur on Sunday morning.
National general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya had earlier said that the name of the CM would be cleared on Sunday. BJP leader Narayan Chandel said on Sunday, "At noon, there will be a meeting of BJP MLAs. Our observers have reached here... Opinions of all MLAs will be heard. After that, the high command will take the decision. It seems the leader of the MLAs will be announced today."
In addition to the observers, BJP's Chhattisgarh in-charge Om Mathur, Union minister Mansukh Mandaviya, and party co-incharge for the state Nitin Nabin will also be present at the meeting. Mathur, arriving at the Swami Vivekananda Airport in Raipur on Saturday evening, expressed confidence in the BJP's prospects in the 2024 parliamentary elections in Chhattisgarh.
Regarding the process of electing the chief minister, Mathur clarified that there is no specific formula, and the BJP's parliamentary board's established system would be followed. The meeting to determine the BJP legislative party leader is scheduled to commence at noon.
Reflecting on the 2018 Lok Sabha elections, Mathur highlighted the BJP's success in winning 9 out of the total 11 seats in the state, while the Congress secured only two constituencies. He confidently predicted a sweeping victory for the BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls and applauded the efforts of party workers and leaders in Chhattisgarh for their historic win in the assembly polls.
In the recent assembly elections, the BJP secured 54 out of 90 seats, while the Congress won 35. Speculations abound regarding the potential chief minister, considering the BJP's approach of not declaring a CM face during the recent polls. It is speculated that the party may opt for an OBC or tribal chief minister if party stalwart Raman Singh is not chosen. Contenders from the tribal community include former Union minister Vishnu Deo, Renuka Singh, Ramvichar Netam, Lata Usendi, and MP Gomti Sai. From the OBC category, potential CM candidates include State BJP chief Arun Sao and bureaucrat-turned-politician O P Choudhary.