Tale of 2 CMs: From Backbenchers to Driver's Seat of ‘Double Engine Sarkar’ in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) once again took everyone by surprise when it unveiled the names of its chief minister’s pick for the newly won states of Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. By choosing young, grassroots-level leaders for the top post, the saffron party delivered on its anti-nepotism and anti-bias political stance.

The ruling party made another statement and a strong one with its unexpected choice of chief ministers in the three Hindi-speaking states – That anyone can become a leader in the Modi-led BJP.

The placement of the newly appointed CMs in the group photo of winning MLAs captured right before the announcement of the chief ministerial candidate is a testament to that.

In the group photo taken before the BJP legislative meeting in Madhya Pradesh, the CM-designate Mohan Yadav can be seen standing in the third row, behind all the senior leaders of the party.

Similarly, in the group photo of the newly elected MLAs in Rajasthan, the CM-designate Bhajanlal Sharma can be seen not seated in the front row, or the second. In fact, he is standing in a corner of the last row, which is an insignificant spot and nearly out of shot.

Reportedly, Sharma was also in the background even at the meeting this evening to finalise his appointment.

After their appointment, both Yadav and Sharma thanked the BJP leadership for the opportunity and reiterated that anyone can make it to the top in the saffron camp.

“I want to thank everyone for giving a small party worker like me a chance to serve the state. I also thank all the party workers who worked hard which resulted in BJP winning with a majority in the state,” Sharma said after his appointment.

BJP’s Surprise Appointment in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and MP

The Bhartiya Janata Party over the past weeks announced three new chief ministers for three states – Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. In Chhattisgarh, the BJP picked a tribal face. The party on Sunday picked Vishnu Deo Sai, a prominent tribal leader, as the next chief minister of the state.

The party picked first-time MLA Bhajanlal Sharma as Rajasthan’s new chief minister and Mohan Yadav was appointed as the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh.