- BJP has decided to hand over respective state affairs to already established leaders
- BJP High Command wants to ensure that BJP’s future vote bank is more consolidated and more broadened
- The future of the nation is in the hands of Youth, and BJP realizing it signifies that the party is playing the long game
Victory in elections is a measure of how much a political party is entrusted by electorates. Similarly, how a party carries itself after victory decides its future prospects. People keep a close eye on whom the party chooses as chief minister (CM) to lead the state. That is why it becomes crucial to decode BJP’s hidden message behind selecting CMs.
BJP sticks with basics
BJP has made it clear that it is not going to do much chopping and changes in state leadership. Rather, the party has decided to stick with the leaders who brought them victory in the first place.
In Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath will be leading the charge for the second time in a row, while in Uttarakhand, Pushkar Singh Dhami has been trusted by the party cadre to serve the people of Devbhoomi. Similarly, in Goa, Pramod Sawant will be handling the responsibility of carrying forward the legacy of Great Manohar Parrikar. On the other hand, maverick footballer N. Biren Singh’s developmental chief minister image helped him regain his position at the helm of affairs.
Read more: The tale of two states – The Yogi Model vs Kejriwal Model
BJP goes the Youth way
One remarkable aspect about these leaders is the kind of clout these people have in the minds of voters as well as people in political circles. If you observe closely, PM Modi and BJP High Command are ensuring that no matter which party emerges victorious in future national elections, the party will at least be able to ensure that it does not lose its hold in states.
To insulate itself from future crises, BJP focussed on the age and legitimacy of its Chief Ministers. Yogi Adityanath is 49 years old, while Pramod Sawant, the man carrying BJP in Goa is only 1 year younger than him. Pushkar Singh Dhami, the re-elected Chief Minister of Uttarakhand is only 46 years old. In Manipur, BJP elected ever fit N. Biren Singh to handle state affairs.
Read more: N. Biren Singh – The ex-footballer who transformed Manipur without fanfare
CMs to strengthen BJP in states
If we discount any untoward incident in future, all four Chief Ministers can easily serve their respective state for the next 2 decades. This means that they will ensure seamless transfer of the Modi government’s ideas and its executions. Basically, these CMs will only broaden the voter base of the saffron party over the next 20 years.
Moreover, looking at how aforementioned leaders have actively taken up average voters’ cause, it is igniting a passion for service in cadres lower in rank to them in their respective territories. This is what made BJP a force to reckon with in the first place. BJP currently has a strong base in almost every village, every town, and every locality of India.
Even Kanhaiya Kumar, a person fiercely in opposition to BJP had acknowledged it. When BJP was in opposition, its local party members reached out to each, and every section of the population dissatisfied with the political dispensation of the time and ensured that the message from the upper echelon of the party was effectively delivered to the last mile of the country. With the selection of young and dynamic CMs, BJP has made sure that the voter base is consolidated.
BJP preparing for future
The selection of young faces is also an attempt to find a competent replacement for PM Modi’s charisma at the national level. It is a natural law that things change, what people like in a person today may change into their reason for disliking the same person tomorrow. However, no matter how much people develop repulsion towards a particular leader, they later crave those same leaders. People of India missing Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Goans missing Mr Manohar Parrikar are prime examples of that.
Read more: Manohar Parrikar – The Modest Statesman
It will be a test for these young and dynamic leaders. They are harbouring the responsibility of disseminating the message to young voters. It’s what they feed a young voter during these developmental years that will decide the course of the nation for the next 35-40 years. BJP is in for the long haul and its selection of CM candidates shows it.