163 BJP MLAs will meet on Monday to select the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh

Expectations over the next Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh will reach their peak on Monday when 163 MLAs recently elected by the BJP will meet under the watch of central observers to elect their leader. Following the November 17 assembly elections, in which the BJP won 163 seats out of 230, the party named Manohar Lal Khattar, K Laxman and Asha Lakra as observers at the center of the decision, according to PTI.

The meeting, initially scheduled for Sunday, has been rescheduled for Monday and the central observers are expected to reach Madhya Pradesh on Sunday afternoon or Monday morning. This is the third time in the last 19 years that the BJP has sent central observers to the state, emphasizing the importance of the event.

Interestingly, the BJP participated in the recent elections without projecting sitting minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan as its face, a departure from its 20-year-old tradition. With Chouhan’s tenure as the BJP’s first minister with more years of service, speculations grew that the party may choose another leader from the Other Endangered Classes (OBCs).

In a case of change, Lodhi and former Union minister Prahlad Patel, who had resigned to be elected from the Narsinghpur assembly seat, emerged as potential contenders. Historically, the BJP has supported OBC leaders for top posts in Madhya Pradesh since 2003, in line with the significant OBC population in the state.

Probable candidates including Narendra Tomar, Kailash Vijayvargiya and VD Sharma met prominent party figures in Delhi. Despite his public denial of his aspirations for the post of Prime Minister, behind-the-scenes discussions and clues to the complex dynamics within the BJP make this decision fundamental.