Chhattisgarh LS poll: BJP keen to try new faces

Raipur: A “bizarre” decision by BJP to drop all the 10 sitting MPs of the party in Chhattisgarh in the forthcoming parliamentary elections has baffled political pundits.

The unprecedented move is being interpreted by a section of political analysts as a saffron experiment to replicate the Indira Gandhi model of running a party under a strong central leadership, as witnessed in Congress in the 1970s and 1980s, and run the BJP under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

But, there is another section of political observers who see it as “logic-defying” decision, taken in a whimsical manner by ignoring ground realities.

“The current political situation in Chhattisgarh has presented an opportunity to BJP to explore if there will be smooth transition from collective leadership era to single-man show in the party, as witnessed in the Congress under the leadership of late Indira Gandhi. It has become imperative for the party to be run by a strong leader and stymie growth of regional satraps since the party is heading for a true pan-Indian political entity as seen in Congress in 1970s to late 1980s,” a professor of sociology department of Raipur-based Pt. Ravishankar Shukla University told this newspaper requesting not to be quoted.

The BJPsuffered a shocking debacle in Chhattisgarh in the November 2018 Assembly elections, by securing hardly 15 out of total 90 Assembly seats, gifting 68 seats to the Congress.

“The ignominious rout of the party in the Assembly elections is certainly one of key reasons behind the decision by BJP leadership to take a radical step like this. Besides, second line leaders in the party need to be promoted to make it dynamic and progressive,” said BJP spokesman in Chhattisgarh Sanjay Srivastav.

Several powerful political dynasties and party veterans who ruled their respective constituencies for over two decades have given way to second line leaders in their respective constituencies in the upcoming LS elections.

Interestingly, the list of candidates declared by the BJP for all the 11 Lok Sabha constituencies in Chhattisgarh has hardly any name that can boast of swaying voters on his or her own.

Majority of them are making their debut in parliamentary elections this time and look upon Mr Modi to charm voters.

For example, the BJP’s candidate for Kanker (ST) Lok Sabha seat Mohan Mandavi is a folk singer and hardly any experience in politics and party’s nominee for Bilashpur Arun Saw is literally a political nonentity.

Party heavyweights who have failed to get re-nominated in this election included eight-time MP from Raipur Ramesh Bais, four-time MP from Raigarh and Union minister Bishnudev Sai, four-time MP from Mahasamund Chandulal Sahu, former chief minister Raman Singh’s son Abhishek and two-time MP from Bastar Dinesh Kashyap.

The party has decided not to nominate 68 leaders who have lost elections in their Assembly constituencies last year and 15 sitting MLAs.

Besides, all 10 MPs have been dropped. This has left the party’s second-rung leaders to try their luck in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.