New Delhi/IBNS: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is still working on selecting the final names of the chief ministers in the three states where the party won the recent assembly elections, reports said.
The party will appoint observers for the three states on Friday to finally choose the names, they said.
More than a handful of names are said to be on the list of probable chief ministers in the three states of Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh.
The BJP fought the elections without naming any chief ministerial candidate and banked on Prime Minister Narendra Modis image to win them.
The observers will be tasked to oversee meetings of the newly elected MLAs in the three states, where they will pick their leaders.
Many within the BJP see the massive mandate it has got in the three states as a strong statement of wider popular support for its policies and Prime Minister Narendra Modis leadership.
Shivraj Singh Chouhan remains a strong contender in Madhya Pradesh, following the partys win with a two-thirds majority. Union ministers Prahlad Patel, Jyotiraditya Scindia and Narendra Singh Tomar are also being seen as among the probables.
In Chhattisgarh, former chief minister Raman Singh, state BJP president Arun Kumar Sao, leader of Opposition Dharamlal Kaushik and former IAS officer OP Chaudhary are seen by political analysts as among the contenders.
In Rajasthan, former chief minister Vasundhara Raje is seen as one of the contenders for the top post. Some 25 BJP MLAs met her on Monday in what was seen as a show of support and strength.
With such massive victories ahead of the 2024 general elections, the BJP is facing the challenge of who would helm the states.
The three states together account for 65 Lok Sabha seats and a wrong decision can prove expensive for the BJP in 2024.
