Amid suspense over the Chief Minister’s candidate in Madhya Pradesh, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) central observer and Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar met Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday.
“Warmly welcomed the Chief Minister of Haryana, @mlkhattar ji at my residence,” chief minister Chouhan posted on X (Formerly Twitter).
Meanwhile, BJP central observers Manohar Lal Khattar, Dr K Laxman and Asha Lakra of Madhya Pradesh are holding a legislative party meeting.
The BJP on Thursday announced the three central observers, which include Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar, K Laxman, National President, OBC Morcha and Aasha Lakda, National Secretary for the state.
Notably, the party made central observers last time in the state in 2005 when former chief minister Babu Lal Gaur left the chief minister post. After that, chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan took the oath for the first time as Chief Minister of the state in November 2005.
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Earlier, the central observers were appointed in 2004 when former chief minister Uma Bharti left the chief minister post and after that, Babu Lal Gaur was appointed as chief minister of the state.
Since then, no central observers have been appointed in the state. During the state assembly polls in 2008 and 2013, BJP remained in power and Mr Chouhan continued to be the chief minister of the state.
During the 2018 assembly polls, the Congress returned to power with veteran leader Kamal Nath taking the oath as the chief minister but a political upheaval rocked the state in 2020 after then-Congressman Jyotiraditya Scindia, along with 22 loyalist MLAs, switched over to the BJP camp.
The Congress government fell after being reduced to a minority and the BJP formed the government, with Shivraj Singh Chouhan returning as chief minister.
But this time again, when the BJP emerged victorious with a thumping majority, the party has appointed central observers so speculations are being made in the political corridor that the party may bring a new chief minister face in the state.
Madhya Pradesh went to poll for 230 assembly seats in a single phase on November 17 and the counting of votes was done on December 3.
The BJP, which had been battling close to 20 years of incumbency in the state, won a resounding mandate, bagging 163 seats, while the Congress finished a distant second at 66 seats.
