Raman Singh, three-time Chhattisgarh Chief Minister, won't be the BJP's face for the state elections due later this year, with the party opting to fight the polls "under collective leadership", sources have said.
The BJP has decided to fight the Chhattisgarh state assembly elections without a Chief Ministerial candidate, a move unprecedented in the party's history in the state, according to party insiders.
This indicates a strategic shift in the party's approach, finalised ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Raipur tour, which intends to capitalise on his popular image.
The decision, which aims to curb factionalism within the state unit, follows a marathon meeting held last week by Union Home Minister Amit Shah with senior BJP leaders of the state.
The BJP has appointed Om Mathur, the party's National Vice President, and Mansukh Mandaviya, the Union Health Minister, as the election in-charges for Chhattisgarh.
The BJP faces a significant challenge in Chhattisgarh. The party suffered a resounding defeat in the last assembly election, where the vote share gap between Congress and BJP increased to more than 10 per cent.
In 2018, BJP had managed to win only 15 seats out of 90 in the state, while Congress secured a massive 68.
However, in the following 2019 general elections, BJP had a strong showing, winning more than 50 per cent of the votes and securing 9 out of the 11 parliamentary seats in the state.
With the end of the five-year tenure of the Baghel government, the BJP sees potential for a comeback in Chhattisgarh, believing a mood against the incumbent government has set in.
Besides Chhattisgarh, Assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Rajasthan and Telangana are due later this year, making for the last round of state elections before the all-important Lok Sabha polls next year.
