Suspense deepens after resignation of BJP MP's in Madhya Pradesh; speculations continue over CM post

Bhopal: Speculations were rife for the Chief Minister position in BJP, which has returned to power with a huge majority in Madhya Pradesh. On Wednesday, out of the seven MPs who contested the state assembly, five (winning candidates) resigned from the membership of Lok Sabha MP.

After the resignation of these five MPs as members of Lok Sabha, the suspense deepens. There was already a long list of CM aspirants from the state legislative party and with the resignation of these five leaders, (three were ministers in the Union cabinet) the task seems to be even more complex.

The five MPs who resigned on Wednesday include Narendra Singh Tomar, Prahlad Singh Patel, Rakesh Singh, Uday Pratap and Reeti Pathak from Madhya Pradesh. It is believed that BJP, as part of strategy in Madhya Pradesh, had given tickets to seven MPs for the Assembly elections. Out of which, five MPs won the elections while two MPs lost. The two MPs who lost the election were Ganesh Singh and Faggan Singh Kulaste. The name of Union civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia is also doing the rounds for the CM post.

According to observers, among the five MPs who resigned in Madhya Pradesh, Narendra Singh Tomar and Prahlad Singh Patel are serious contenders for the post of CM in the state. The remaining MLAs can be adjusted with pulp portfolios in the state cabinet.

After these five MPs resigned from their membership, speculations were rife as to what will be the role of these leaders in Madhya Pradesh. They will be given important portfolios with a major task of winning all 29 Lok Sabha seats scheduled next year.

Amidst these speculations, present CM of Madhya Pradesh Shivraj Singh Chouhan has made his intention clear and has started preparing groundwork for it.

Under 'Mission 29', CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan reached Kamal Nath's bastion Chhindwara on Wednesday and participated in functions for Ladli Behna scheme and workers meeting here. Speaking on this occasion, Chouhan said, "While your Mama (Chouhan himself) was busy touring the state, your Dada ji (Nath) was fixed/tied in Chhindwara alone. He left the field open for BJP which retained power with a handsome victory. In a way, people here have helped BJP to achieve its victory goal. Though we lost 7 assembly seats here, we will do course-correction to win all Lok Sabha seats, including chhindwara."

"I never campaign for my Budhni assembly constituency during the elections. People had assured me that I will win by more than 1 lakh votes and form the next government. It is their faith and trust which have cemented with hard work and decades-old relationship. I promised development in all seven assembly constituencies of Chhindwara," he added.

This is the Chief Minister's first visit to any city after his victory in the Assembly elections.