BJP may retain CMs in UP, Manipur, Goa, uncertainty remains for Pushkar Singh Dhami

The swearing-in ceremonies in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa will take place after March 20, sources said.

While there is no ambiguity in the leadership of Yogi Adityanath – who created history by leading the party to an impressive victory in a state where no party could retain power since 1985 – in Uttar Pradesh, the state units in Goa and Manipur are divided over the choice for the top posts, sources said. In Manipur, where the party unit has been hit by internal strife for a while, a group of senior leaders got united against N Biren Singh and has been trying to convince the central leadership about changing the chief minister.

“A number of legislators also have demanded change. But the central leadership may look into the fact that the government’s performance under him – the welfare schemes, a blockades-free tenure and the introduction of Inner Line Permit. The MLAs and leaders would certainly agree if the top leadership wants Biren to continue,” said a senior party leader.

Although Singh-led the campaign in Manipur, Thongam Biswajit Singh, who in the past has made a number of attempts to get Biren Singh replaced, continues his efforts to be his successor. Konthoujam Govindas Singh, a former Congress state president who joined the BJP last year, is another contender for the post.

“There are issues and differences in the state unit, but the BJP at the Centre, including the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) does not want to create a situation that can lead to uncertainty or instability in a state in this region,” added the leader. In the 60-member Assembly, the party won 32, one seat more than the magical number to form the government.

In Goa, too, even though incumbent chief minister Pramod Sawant enjoys the support of the top leaders, including Prime Minister Modi, a section of MLAs and other leaders are keen to see him replaced. However, party sources said the national leadership is expected to allow him to continue. “Because his governance was a reason for the party to come up with more seats in the state that is infamous for its instability and hung verdicts,” said a party leader.

The BJP won 20 seats, just one seat short of majority in the 40-member Assembly. Both Singh and Sawant met the PM and senior leaders of the BJP in the national capital on Wednesday.

Sources said Home Minister Amit Shah is expected to talk to senior leaders in all the three states to form a consensus over the chief ministers. Shah is also the central observer for the election of legislature party leader in Uttar Pradesh .

However, the party leaders seem to be confused about Uttarakhand where the party won a clear majority – 47 of the 70 seats — but Chief Minister Dhami, who took over in July, lost his Khatima seat. “But he got tremendous goodwill among some of the newly elected MLAs who think that they won because of his hard work in the last six months,” said a BJP general secretary.

“There are many MLAs who have expressed their willingness to step aside for him,” he added. But another section attributes the party’s victory solely to Prime Minister Modi’s popularity and his campaign in the state.

The leadership, sources said, is in a dilemma as it does not want to create a “new precedence” by appointing a leader who lost mandate in his constituency, especially because the BJP had denied the top post to Prem Kumar Dhumal in Himachal Pradesh in 2017 when he lost his seat despite the party’s victory. The central leadership picked Jai Ram Thakur to lead the party government despite the offers from Dhumal loyalists to vacate their seats to make way for him to contest a by-election.

“Another issue that would come up here is the defeat of (Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister) Keshav Prasad Maurya. The party cannot sideline him because the message has gone among the (Maurya) community – a strong support base for the BJP among the OBCs – that he was defeated due to inner party issues,” pointed out a leader. The party can accommodate Maurya by nominating him as an MLC.