- The Bharatiya Janata Party is living up to its moniker of being a party with a difference in the way it has gone about choosing the chief ministers to the five state assembly elections concluded recently. Of course, there was no doubt about who will head the government in Uttar Pradesh and Manipur, respectively as the incumbent chief ministers returned with triumphant victories. However, there were some speculations about the fate of the incumbent chief minister and deputy chief minister in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh. As you are aware, Pushkar Singh Dhami of Uttarakhand lost the election even as the party returned with an impressive victory. There were talks of replacing the chief minister for the last ten days.
PC: Basha Shek
- As it happens in any party, there were many claimants for the most-coveted jobs since Pushkar Singh Dhami, N Biren Singh of Manipur, and Pramod Sawant of Goa are not considered as heavyweights in the BJP. However, the present BJP with its powerful high command led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is often a key factor in helping BJP win state elections has ensured that leaders fall in line with the party diktat. For instance, Uttarakhand’s choice was complicated by Dhami’s personal loss in the assembly election. Nonetheless, the party couldn’t ignore how Dhami steadied the state’s government after his predecessor’s brief disastrous stints.
- Dhami paid a heavy price for devoting too much time to spearhead the campaign in other seats. But placing the party above self has come back to help Dhami even in defeat. Remember, this is indeed among the remarkable features of the post-2014 BJP. Those showing the stomach for difficult fights have been rewarded even when the outcomes have not been immediately positive. For instance, Smriti Irani’s willingness in 2014 to contest against Rahul Gandhi in his pocket borough Amethi despite being a rank outsider to the constituency ended in defeat. But the coveted HRD ministry portfolio awaited her soon after.
PC: The Dispatch Staff
- Similarly, Junior Information and Broadcasting minister L Murugan as Tamil Nadu party chief had led a yatra moored around the locally worshipped deity Murugan amid stiff opposition from both DMK and ally AIADMK ahead of assembly polls, and he lost a closely fought election from western TN. Note that the promising Dalit leader was promoted as Rajya Sabha member and Union Minister, signaling that intrepid netas could win Modi’s approval. Further, for first-timer BJP CMs of Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, and Tripura facing voters in the next 14 months, Dhami’s selection should be a motivational precedent. Thus, the BJP is making all the right choices and presenting welcome optics that it is different and means business.
