A Woman CM, Raman Singh Or THESE Men? Who Will Be The BJP Chief Minister In Chhattisgarh

New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has emerged as the single largest party in the Chhattisgarh assembly elections 2023, predicted to win 53 out of 90 seats and ending the Congress’ five-year rule in the state. However, the party's probable Chief Ministerial face is yet to be announced, leaving the field open for speculation. The party will also have to balance the caste and regional equations, as well as the aspirations of the old and new faces, while choosing its leader.

The new chief minister will have the task of fulfilling the promises made by the party in its manifesto, such as providing 24-hour electricity, free education for girls, free health insurance for all, and doubling the income of farmers.

Among the probable contenders for the Chhattisgarh CM  post are:

Arun Sao

The current president of the BJP’s Chhattisgarh unit and a four-time MP from Bilaspur, Arun Sao is considered to be a close aide of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. He was instrumental in reviving the party’s fortunes in the state after the 2018 debacle, when the BJP lost power to the Congress under the leadership of Raman Singh.

Sao is also credited with bringing several former Congress leaders into the BJP fold, including former chief minister Ajit Jogi’s son Amit Jogi and former minister Ram Dayal Uike. Sao belongs to the OBC Kurmi community, which has a significant presence in the state.

Raman Singh

The veteran leader and former chief minister of Chhattisgarh, Raman Singh is one of the longest-serving chief ministers in the country, having ruled the state for 15 years from 2003 to 2018. He is known for his pro-poor schemes, such as the subsidised rice distribution programme, and his development initiatives, such as the construction of roads, bridges and power plants.

He is also seen as a strong Hindutva face, who enjoys the support of the RSS and the upper caste voters. However, he also faces allegations of corruption, misgovernance and involvement in the multi-crore PDS scam. He contested the 2023 elections from Rajnandgaon, where he is leading over Congress’ Girish Dewangan by a margin of 30,000 votes.

OP Choudhary

A former IAS officer and a first-time MLA, OP Choudhary is a young and dynamic leader, who joined the BJP in 2018 after quitting the civil service. He was the district collector of Raipur and Janjgir-Champa, where he earned a reputation of being a simple, hard-working and innovative administrator.

He implemented several welfare schemes, such as the ‘Nanhe Parindey’ programme for the education of slum children, the ‘Narva, Garva, Ghurva, Bari’ programme for the conservation of water, forest and land resources, and the ‘Sanjivani’ programme for the health care of the rural population. He contested the 2023 elections from Raigad, where he is leading over Congress’ Prakash Shakrajeet Naik by a margin of 40,809 votes after 10th round of counting.

Renuka Singh

A woman cricketer-turned-politician, Renuka Singh is the current Minister of State for Tribal Affairs in the Modi government. She is a member of the Lok Sabha from Sarguja, where she defeated Congress’ Khel Sai Singh by a margin of 1,67,239 votes. She contested from Bharatpur-Sonhat assembly seat where she is leading with a margin of 5,682 votes over the Congress candidate. She is a pace bowler, who played for the Indian women’s cricket team in the 2022 Women’s Cricket World Cup in New Zealand and the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, where she won a silver medal. She belongs to the Scheduled Tribe community, which constitutes about 32% of the state’s population.

Vishnu Deo Sai

A senior leader and a former Union Minister of State for Steel in the first Modi government, Vishnu Deo Sai is a five-time MP from Raigarh, where he defeated Congress’ Gomtee Sai by a margin of 3,91,978 votes. He is currently winning the Kunkuri assembly seat by a margin of 21,964 votes. He is also a former MLA from Tapkara and Dongargaon. He served as the president of the BJP’s Chhattisgarh unit thrice, from 2006 to 2010, from 2014 to 2014 and from 2020 to 2022. He is known for his organisational skills and his rapport with the party workers. He belongs to the Scheduled Tribe community and is a prominent leader of the Oraon tribe.

Vijay Baghel

A former municipal councillor and a former MLA from Patan, Vijay Baghel is a nephew of the outgoing chief minister Bhupesh Baghel. He joined the BJP in 2008 and defeated his uncle in the assembly elections that year. However, he lost to him in the 2013 and 2023 elections. He is also a member of the Lok Sabha from Durg, where he defeated Congress’ Pratima Chandrakar by a margin of 3,44,833 votes. He is an agriculturist by profession and belongs to the OBC Kurmi community. He is seen as a rebel leader, who challenged the dominance of his uncle in the state politics1516171819