The Hindu : Front Page : Chauhan to replace Gaur as Chief Minister

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Nov 27, 2005

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Front Page

Chauhan to replace Gaur as Chief Minister

Vinay Kumar

Uma Bharti to be appointed party general secretary

NEW DELHI: Shivraj Singh Chauhan will be the new Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh. The BJP central parliamentary board's decision to replace Babu Lal Gaur with Mr. Chauhan ends the nearly month-long uncertainty in the State where the party swept to power two years ago.

BJP general secretary Arun Jaitley told reporters here on Saturday that Mr. Gaur had offered to step down and sent his resignation to the central leadership. "The BJP parliamentary board held discussions on Madhya Pradesh affairs and the political situation in the State. It was decided that Shivraj Singh Chauhan will be the leader of the BJP legislature party in the Assembly and the new Chief Minister," he said.

The party's highest decision-making body met twice during the day at the residence of the former Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The meeting was chaired by Mr. Vajpayee and attended among others by party president L.K. Advani, Jaswant Singh, Murli Manohar Joshi, Sushma Swaraj, Pramod Mahajan, Sanjay Joshi, M. Venkaiah Naidu and Rajnath Singh.

Mr. Jaitley said the date for the BJP legislature party meeting in Bhopal would be decided by Mr. Advani, who would also name the central observers for the meeting. It was decided to utilise the services of the former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Uma Bharti, at the national level and she would be appointed BJP general secretary.

While senior party leaders had indicated that the State leadership issue could not be put off indefinitely, the party had deferred a decision due to lack of consensus.

One section held the view that the central leadership should not impose a new chief minister on the State, but should ascertain and implement the views of party MLAs. Ms. Bharti's supporters were getting restive, even as those favouring Mr. Chauhan, State unit chief, were also equally vocal in drumming up support for him.

Ms. Bharti was asked to resign as Chief Minister last year following a case in a Hubli court in Karnataka. Ms. Bharti and the BJP later launched "Tiranga Yatra." The reins of power were handed over to Mr. Gaur. The campaign launched by Ms. Bharti's supporters, demanding a change in the Chief Ministership, gained momentum over the past couple of months. The choice of 46-year-old Chauhan as the new Chief Minister indicates that the second-generation leadership in the BJP has had its say. Currently serving his fifth term in the 14th Lok Sabha as BJP member from Vidisha constituency, Mr. Chauhan began his career as a Rashtriya Swayam Sevak volunteer in 1977.

Welcomed in Bhopal

Our Staff Correspondent in Bhopal adds:

The BJP announcement in Delhi about the change of leadership in Madhya Pradesh has been welcomed by the rank and file of the ruling party in the State.

Mr. Chauhan's residence in the State capital was flooded by his supporters on Saturday evening. There was euphoria and excitement as they went about distributing sweets amid bursting of crackers.

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