Rajnath Singh, Munda, Khattar among BJP's central observers to pick new CMs in three states

The BJP has named Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda as central observers to elect chief ministers in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, respectively. The meeting are likely to take place over the weekend and the new legislative party leaders will become the chief ministers, according to PTI. As central observers for Rajasthan, Singh will be accompanied by the party’s vice president Saroj Pandey and general secretary Vinod Tawde. There is a lot of talk within the BJP that the leadership is going to appoint a new leader, despite the assertions of Vasundhara Raje, the former chief minister thrice. For the Madhya Pradesh meeting, Khattar will be accompanied by the party’s OBC ‘Morcha’ head K Laxman and secretary Asha Lakra, while Munda, Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, and BJP general secretary Dushwant Kumar Gautam will serve as central observers for Chhattisgarh. In Madhya Pradesh where the BJP scored its biggest victory among the three states with a two-thirds majority, current Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s stake has gone up with the win but there is a view that the party leadership is looking at a leadership change after his 18 years uninterrupted stint in power except for 15 months after the 2018 Assembly polls. The BJP is looking to hand over the reins to an OBC or tribal leader in Chhattisgarh, sources said, adding that ST leaders like Lata Usendi, Gomati Sai and Renuka Singh are natural contenders for the top job besides state party president Arun Sao and bureaucrat-turned-politician OP Choudhary, both from backward castes. The party will like to pick at least one woman chief minister at a time Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been highlighting women voters’ support to the BJP and often spoken of the need for women-led development. Two of three observers for Chhattisgarh are from tribal communities while Gautam comes from the Scheduled Castes. The BJP has won the three states in the recently held assembly elections with thumping margins, brushing aside the challenge from the Congress in each of them. With inputs from agencies