BJP likely to go with old horses in MP, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh; Chouhan, Raje and Raman Singh to be CMs

New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is unlikely to experiment with fresh faces as chief ministers in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.

This means four-time chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will continue to govern Madhya Pradesh, Vasundhara Raje will take oath as the chief minister of Rajasthan for the third time while Raman Singh will assume the office of the chief minister of Chhattisgarh for the fourth term.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not in favour of going for new faces at this stage when the Lok Sabha elections are just a few months away.

According to BJP sources, any change, if required, may take place only after the national elections.

The BJP leadership is wary of repeating Karnataka elsewhere. Former Karnataka chief minister BS Yediyurappa's unceremonious removal cost the party dear in the assembly elections early this year.

That is the reason why the BJP leadership after initially showing Raje the cold shoulder later surrendered before her and accepted all her demands, including her candidates on several seats.

Similarly, Chouhan's name figured in the fourth list of BJP candidates, a move that drew criticism from the Congress, which said it was a height of disrespect towards a sitting chief minister.

In fact, the sources said Modi was keen to induct Chouhan and Raje in his cabinet after the stupendous victory in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections but the two leaders declined, insisting that they would like to work in their respective states only.

The task for the three chief ministers is cut out - to deliver all the 65 Lok Sabha seats in their respective states to the BJP in the 2024 parliamentary polls.