NDTV Explains: Why BJP Picked A Yadav And Tribal As 2 New Chief Ministers | Read

After a week of secretive deal-making - and snide swipes from the opposition - the BJP pulled the trigger twice in as many days, naming Vishnu Deo Sai and Mohan Yadav as the new chief ministers of Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. Both picks were out of left field but have been seen as part of the BJP's masterplan to balance caste/class ahead of next year's general election. For example, in Chhattisgarh - a state where tribal communities form 32 per cent of the population - the BJP has opted for a tribal leader. The party could have also settled on a Chief Minister from an OBC, or Other Backward Class, but a dominant show in tribal-dominated seats made that choice moot. Over in Madhya Pradesh, the BJP walked a tighter rope and had to factor in two Deputy Chief Ministers, plus the Speaker's chair, to cobble together a leadership structure that (it hopes) will keep various communities, and their political reps, happy and voting saffron through to the 2024 election.