145;I was made CM without consulting, axed without consulting146;

If Uma Bharati went into a sulk despite getting the BJP to sack the Madhya Pradesh chief minister, the man at the receiving end, Babulal Gau...

If Uma Bharati went into a sulk despite getting the BJP to sack the Madhya Pradesh chief minister, the man at the receiving end, Babulal Gaur, seemed to be reconciled to his unceremonious exit, mindful perhaps that things don8217;t look too rosy for his successor.

Gaur faxed his resignation to the BJP Parliamentary Board today, despite private ceremonies to mourn the death of his son on the day a year ago. The outgoing chief minister cancelled all official engagements on Sunday.

Late on Saturday, a foundation stone he laid at Indore was removed within minutes of the announcement from Delhi that he was being removed from the helm in the state.

8216;8216;Paristhitiya aisi ho jati hai circumstances do change,8217;8217; he said when asked why he was removed. When asked if he deserved the treatment, Gaur replied with candour, 8216;8216;The party made me chief minister without consulting me, it removed me without consultation.8217;8217;

He admitted that he had no inkling of his fate till party president L K Advani asked him on phone to quit. The 75-year-old leader said he would remain active as an MLA and even offered to vacate his assembly seat, if asked, to facilitate the election of new chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, an MP from Vidisha. He said he was even game to join the Shivraj Singh Chouhan ministry, making it clear that he was in no mood to confront the party for the ill treatment meted out to him.

In contrast, Bharati8217;s supporters made no bones of their displeasure with the 8216;8216;unconstitutional8217;8217; way in which the party announced the new chief minister8217;s name ahead of the legislature party meeting. Former union minister Prahlad Patel gave enough indication of what8217;s in store for Chouhan when he said, 8216;8216;I can call him a friend but not a leader.8217;8217;

The party has set a bad precedent by announcing the new chief minister8217;s name, said Patel, adding, 8216;8216;Whether MLAs elect him as their leader will be known only at the legislature party meeting.8217;8217; His was not an empty threat as several Bharati loyalists camped at the Banganga residence of Patel8217;s brother, who is an MLA.

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There are other worries on the horizon for the faction-riddled BJP. Besides looking for a successor to Chouhan, who is president of the state unit, the party will also have to find a safe seat for him to his election to the Assembly. Given that there is no love lost between Bharati and the new chief minister, the task may not be as easy as it appears.

Strong action against any dissent, warns Mahajan

New Delhi: Against the backdrop of reported reservations of loyalists of senior party leader Uma Bharati about the choice of of Shivraj Singh Chouhan as next Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, the BJP on Sunday night warned of taking strong action against anyone who indulges in indiscipline.

8220;I think after the selection of the CM, whoever indulges in any act of indiscipline, whether in Bihar or Madhya Pradesh, whether it is a senior person or junior, strong action will be taken against him,8221; party general secretary Pramod Mahajan told reporters here.

The Madhya Pradesh BJP Legislature Party would meet in Bhopal on Monday to formally elect Chouhan, the state party chief, as its leader paving the way for him to become the CM succeeding Babulal Gaur.

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Ignoring Bharati8217;s claim for the top post, the BJP Central Parliamentary Board on Saturday appointed Chouhan as the next CM. 8212;PTI