2023 assembly polls verdict fans speculation of rejig in council of ministers
The BJP wrested power from the Congress in the Hindi heartland states of Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, while retaining power in Madhya Pradesh
Bhopal The election on Sunday of several Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members of Parliament (MPs) and Union ministers to assemblies in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh has triggered speculation about a possible rejig in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s council of ministers months before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
The BJP wrested power from the Congress in the Hindi heartland states of Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, while retaining power in Madhya Pradesh. The Congress only managed to win in the southern state of Telangana.
Union ministers Narendra Singh Tomar and Pralhad Patel were elected to the Madhya Pradesh assembly, and Renuka Singh was elected to the Chhattisgarh House. Tomar holds the agriculture portfolio, Patel is the minister of state for food processing and Jal Shakti, and Singh is the minister of state for tribal affairs. A fourth minister who contested but could not win was Faggan Singh Kulaste, minister of state for steel and rural development.
The last major rejig in the Union council happened in July 2021 when 43 ministers, including 36 new faces, were inducted. The most recent change was in May when minister of state Arjun Ram Meghwal replaced Kiren Rijiju as law minister. Rijiju was appointed as the minister for earth sciences.
Among the Lok Sabha members who won in the latest round of assembly elections are Rakesh Singh, Uday Pratap Singh, and Riti Pathak from Madhya Pradesh; Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Diya Kumari, Kirori Lal Meena (Rajya Sabha MP) and Baba Balaknath from Rajasthan; and Arun Sao and Gomti Sai from Chhattisgarh. Lok Sabha MP Ganesh Singh did not win his seat in Madhya Pradesh.
The new lawmakers will have 14 days after the declaration of results to resign from either Parliament or the state assembly, as per rules. “Since these leaders were specifically tasked to contest the assembly polls to strengthen the party’s position in their respective states, they are likely to resign from the Lok Sabha,” a BJP functionary said on condition of anonymity. To be sure, some of them may also choose to quit the assembly seat and return to Parliament.
According to election commission rules, all vacancies, whether in state assemblies or Parliament, must be filled within six months of arising.
“There is a possibility of a rejig in the council of ministers as some ministers have charge of more and a couple of ministries. There is a buzz that perhaps the central high command may want to move some faces from the states, possibly former CMs, to the Centre. These decisions will be taken by the central leadership,” a second party functionary said, asking not to be named.
In the three states where the BJP walked away with a stunning mandate, there is no clarity who the next CM will be. Since the party had not named any chief ministerial candidate, is remains to be seen if the incumbent Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan will continue in office. In Rajasthan, where former Vasundhara Raje is in the fray, party leaders remained non-committal about her appointment. In Chhattisgarh, too, the party is considering pocking an OBC or tribal face instead of former CM Raman Singh, who is a Thakur.
“The legislative party will soon take a decision on who the CMs will be,” said the second functionary.
