The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has appointed nine observers, including three union ministers, to select Chief Ministers for the states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh. The party announced on Friday that Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, National General Secretary Vinod Tawde, and Rajya Sabha MP Saroj Pandey will be sent to Rajasthan. Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, along with President K Laxman and Secretary Asha Lakhra from the party’s national leadership, will be sent to Madhya Pradesh. Agriculture and Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda, Ports and Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, and National General Secretary Dushyant Kumar Gautam will travel to Chhattisgarh.
These observers will oversee meetings of the newly-elected Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) in each state, who will then select candidates for Chief Minister. The final decision on the Chief Ministers is expected to be made on Sunday.
In Telangana, the new Chief Minister, Revanth Reddy, was sworn in on Thursday after a brief period of lobbying. The Congress party, which held power in the state, has criticized the BJP for the delay in appointing leaders for the states it now holds. Jairam Ramesh, a senior Congress leader, tweeted about the delay, questioning why the BJP is not being called out for it.
Meanwhile, the Chief Minister of Mizoram, Lalduhoma, was installed this morning after his party, the Zoram People’s Movement, won the state elections. The BJP’s delay in appointing Chief Ministers has drawn attention and criticism from opposition parties.
