'BJP writing new grammar of electoral politics'

'The party is breaking stereotypes by not inviting senior leaders to become chief ministers.'
'No other party has had the guts to do this.'

"There are several experienced individuals who have had good parliamentary careers and won by big margins in the state election, but that was not the BJP's criteria to select chief ministers in the three states," explains Professor Yatindra Singh Sisodia, Director, Madhya Pradesh Institute of Social Science Research, Ujjain.

The author-editor of 22 books, Professor Sisodia's areas of interest are democracy, decentralised governance, electoral politics, tribal issues, and developmental issues.

"These decisions have been taken by the party organisation with utmost precision," Professor Sisodia tells Rediff.com's Archana Masih.

What made the BJP select Mohan Yadav as chief minister of Madhya Pradesh which came as a surprise even to himself?

The central BJP leadership sent a strong message by making an OBC leader as chief minister. In view of the BJP's campaign in the run-up to the election, it was clear that Shivraj Singh Chouhan was already out of the race.

The obvious choice would have been Prahlad Patel, but the party must have had several reasons for selecting Mohan Yadav:

• It wanted someone who was not much known in the public domain. They have followed this in all three states.
• The Yadav surname has a special significance among OBCs and resonates across the country and other Hindi Heartland states including Bihar.
• Mohan Yadav is articulate and has a very good equation with both state and central leadership. He has deep roots in the Sangh Parivar.
• He has shown his ability to the party since he was a student leader from the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad in the 1980s. Therefore, he has had an active political career spread over 40 years. More importantly, he is a full time politician.
• He is from the RSS and is a believer and propagator of their ideology.

When the BJP came to power in MP in 2003, he was given a ticket from a seat near Ujjain. There was a strong reaction to that from local party leaders which made him surrender his ticket.

He was then appointed chairman of the Ujjain Development Authority and several development projects in the city took shape under him.

He started showing his organisational, leadership abilities and vision from 2003 onwards. He was then appointed chairman of the MP Tourism Development Corporation. He revamped the idea of MP tourism during his tenure. So, he made a mark at whatever post was given to him.

He then became education minister. MP was the first state to implement the new eduction policy in 2020.

Shivraj Singh Chouhan has immense experience and was MP's longest serving chief minister. Will lack of experience have any bearing on Mr Yadav's governance and his equation with BJP MLAs?

Shivraj Singh Chouhan was sent from Delhi to Bhopal to become the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh in 2005. He did not have a good rapport with several MLAs of the party at that time, but he was the man chosen to lead the party in the state. He was a lesser known person in the state in terms of political presence across the state.

If you compare Mohan Yadav to Chouhan in 2005, then the latter has had an active presence in state politics for nearly 20 years. He is a three-time MLA, a minister for five years and has travelled the length and breadth of the state.

Moreover, the BJP is a disciplined, cadre-based party and will not see any dissenting voices against him despite the fact that many senior leaders have been overlooked.

There are several experienced individuals who have had good parliamentary careers and won by big margins, but that was not the BJP's criteria to select chief ministers in the three states.

These decisions have been taken by the party organisation with utmost precision. Therefore, the CMs will be able to coordinate with the MLAs and get the cooperation of all ministers. All these issues can be easily managed in the BJP.

What do you think of his ability to deliver in the Lok Sabha election?

This has to be seen, but he has good oratory skills. He knows how to connect with people and is relatively young.

He will be able to travel across the state during the campaign.

Moreover, the BJP has structured electoral machinery in the state across multiple levels. He will be able to deliver because the system is already in place. There is no extra effort required from him to get the results the party is expecting in 2024.

The tone is already set. The machinery is charged after the victory in MP.

Will he be chief minister beyond the Lok Sabha results?

I think so. The party will not want to make any changes unless some serious problems emerges against the incumbent, otherwise the situation will remain so.

What image does he have amongst the people?

He is known as a strategist and is good at micromanagement. He is a fighter and has the ability to sail through adversity. He fought all three elections in tough, adverse, situations and was able to win them all. He knows how to defeat the opponent.

He is seen as the man next door in Ujjain which is a small city. He is accessible and can be approached at any time. He has been able to deliver to his assembly constituents.

Where does Shivraj Singh Chouhan go from here?

I am certain he can be accommodated in Delhi in a Cabinet reshuffle. He is a tall leader, only 64 years of age and has a lot of politics still left in him.

A few Lok Sabha seats are lying vacant because some MPs contested the state elections and won. There are five seats from MP already vacant in the Lok Sabha, and he can be respectfully accommodated.

What are some of Mohan Yadav's biggest strengths that will serve him in good stead as CM?

He will be a loyal and obedient follower of the instructions coming from Delhi. He has come to the BJP from the RSS and ABVP and knows how to handle the politics of the BJP.

He has the experience of working in the urban development authority to a cabinet minister, so he has the ability to deliver in terms of administration.

His administrative acumen as a chief minister is yet to be seen.

He is fit and healthy because you have to be a 24x7 full time politician as chief minister. He has the energy level to engage with several activities simultaneously.

In choosing young chief ministers, has the BJP sent a message to the country?

Absolutely. The BJP is writing a new grammar of electoral politics. Something like this has never happened before. They are breaking stereotypes of inviting seniors to become chief minister and ministers.

They are known to do new practicals in politics and are scripting something absolutely new. No other party has the guts to do this except the BJP in the 75 years of politics of this country.

Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com