our lead story tonight. Well, the suspense over the chief ministers in the three states continues marathon meetings being held here in Delhi and also in all the states. Well, the B JP has appointed central observers, which includes Rajnath Singh, the defence minister in Rajasthan, as the main observer and also the chief minister Manohar Lal Qatar as a main observer in Madhya Pradesh. Well in Rajasthan, which is certainly the most challenging state for the BJP, many CM probable is now emerging, including the Kumari Baba Balak Nath, also former chief minister Vasana Rae, who was in Delhi recently. She is being seen as a front runner as well. Baba Balak Nath as I said, also Gaja Singh Sheikha, the union minister who brings a certain amount of experience and ministerial experience to the table. He's also been seen as a chief minister probable in Mad Pradesh. The B JP, of course, is looking at fresh faces and at the same time, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Johan, who's largely been a yoza, is credited for the victory as well now as far as Chhattisgarh is concerned, But in Chhattisgarh, the B JP is stone between the O BC face and projecting a tribal face as a chief minister. Of course, the Raman Singh B Raman Singh factor cannot be ignored. As far as Chhattisgarh is concerned, we'll have our experts and our senior reporter joining us on the broadcast as well. But first let's listen in to what Anura Thakur had to say. As far as the Rajasthan chief, Mr Choice is concerned. So as Gallo i ka Karen B or a a Hamari Hamari BVK and well in Rajasthan, the State President CP Joshi gave no clarity as such as far as the Chief Minister is concerned. But he said the Glod government also took 16 days to form the government. On what basis are they questioning the B JP listener as Gloin B? Those are at Sarkar. Formal government formation or name is Sarkar. Name is Sola a A and our senior colleagues Hasha and Umar are joining us. Harsha from Rajasthan and Umar from telling Ghana going across to you first. Hasha ma'am, You know the central observers have been appointed. But the suspense continues. Uh, you know, you've been covered Rajasthan for such a long time for decades. Which way do you see the tide, you know, going in the sense that, of course, in Delhi, Vuna Raja held a meeting as well and marathon meetings of the high command as well. What to expect? Well, I think what they are going to be doing is definitely keeping an eye on 2024. So whoever will become the Chief Minister will probably be someone who they are confident will get them all 25 seats. So remember last two elections, they've done 25 out of 25 hat trick, and they're hoping for a hat trick this time. Now, Rajasthan is a state with a lot of complicated cast combinations. So you know, you have to factor those in. You also need, uh, perhaps some amount of, uh uh, experience with governance because you will have a lot of senior MLAS there. And if you're not making vasuda Raje, then somewhere you will have to have, uh, you know, her, uh, blessing, so to speak. Because remember, if you look at this election, they had to accommodate her, so you have to factor in the vasuda factor. I think that's also going to be important. Very difficult to second guess who will be becoming. We all know the names which are, you know, doing the rounds, all the names that you took. Plus the fact that there are senior ministers Arjun Ra Megal. There's even talk that someone like Ashmi Vishner could have been parachuted and given his exemplary governance record. So there are many, many names. Even Speaker Birla, for example. His name had done the rounds long back. Then there's the B JP president here CP Joshi. So all these names are definitely there. Who will be the choice? Uh, one really cannot like we were saying second guess them, but definitely it has to be someone who will give them this hat trick of 25 seats in the looks of before I come to you is, you know, the cost factor, as you said, and the sort of balancing act and sort of looking at perhaps a stable government in Rajasthan for not just the next five years but the next 10 years. Are these factors more important than you know, the numbers game? Who has, you know, the support of the Ms You know, in the case of Rajasthan, in the case of BJP, ultimately it's a high command who sort of factors in various aspects and the numbers game is, in a sense, irrelevant here. Absolutely. I think the numbers game is irrelevant here. And really the B JP high Command knows who is pulling the strings there, but yes. You know, uh, apart from the cast arithmetic, there was also some kind of a conversation in the B JP that we need to move beyond cast. So we need to have class. We need to have representation. We need to have women, you know? So these factors could also be perhaps somewhere, uh, as important as the cast arithmetic representing class, representing certain, you know, say, for example, representation for women or, you know, youth. So these kind of things, I think are as important to them as the cast arithmetic. Thanks so much for joining us with that there. We are also looking at what's really happening in all these states that went to polls. And it was an action packed day in Telangana as well, with the BJP Ms refusing to sort of take oath today. But does this also In a sense, you give us a sense of sort of symbolises the challenges for the Congress. As far as you know, their government is concerned because they do not have a minority face as far as the Cabinet is concerned. And that seems to be the point that the BJP MLAs were making, that they said that this is just nothing but appeasement of the minorities, you know, by appointing Adi Noves as a pro temp speaker. Yes, indeed. It started off with Raja Singh, in fact, making quite a personal attack on Akbar OSI and calling him a descendant of the Razak and saying that he's not going to take oath if Nosi is made the pro speaker. But the BJP party itself turned it differently and saying that the senior most member in the Assembly should have been called to be made or invited to become the pro TEM speaker and that the Congress had failed to do that. But I did speak to Kumar already, who said that he would have been the senior most member in the house, but he happens to be a minister. He has already taken oath as minister and therefore he cannot be pro TEM speaker. We don't expect the previous speaker to also become the pro TEM speaker and the chief minister, the former chief minister either. And anyway he's in hospital after hip fall under hip replacement surgery. So the BJP saw political advantage and also saying that the Congress is playing the minority game and trying to appease. And that's the reason why they have said that they do not want to take oath when he aburdin owe is in the chair. And they also have complained to the speaker saying that, you know, even before a former speaker is elected, they want Aburdin Obesi changed. I don't think that is going to happen. But the other challenges for the Congress is going to be that even before you know the Parliament elections come up, they will have to be seen doing what they promised. The Congress guarantees itself and the first two of them they started off with today with a free bus ride for women and also increasing the Raj Aros health insurance limit to ₹10 lakh. So while the free bus ride is going to you know, it has caused a lot of excitement among the women, college girls, even the elderly women, and they are happy for that. But it's going to cost the exchequer some ₹2500 crore and the rest of the guarantees. Kumar already told us that they have to implement within 100 days. And in the same breath he told us that the BRS government has left. The cough was empty from a 118,000 crore surplus that was there in 2014, some 5.7 lac debt that Rangana is in. So those are going to be the bigger challenges I would think for the Congress. Yes, they need a face from Hyderabad. And could that face be from the M? That seems a little far fetched at this time, but their numbers are very delicate, as you know, only about four above the magic mark. And therefore yes, they could have. They could have some kind of partnerships and understandings as well to strengthen their own base in Hyderabad. Thanks so much joining us with that so many challenges ahead for the newly formed Congress government in Telangana. But returning now to the suspense that continues in the Hindi Heartland states who will be at the helm? Well, we discussed Rajasthan, but the other interesting states are also Mad Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Well, in Madhya Pradesh, the B JP is mulling over various factors in Chhattisgarh. It's going to be, you know, a fight between an O BC face and a tribal candidate. An Awadi breaks it down for us as to what next? For these two states? Yes, so suspense has replaced celebrations there in Raipur, the list is really, really long and the questions are also being raised over the delay in government formation there. In Raipur, the Hai Party Haikan has sent three central observers ex chief Minister of Jharkhand Arjun Munda and Kumar as well as her. And so they will conduct a meeting on Sunday at around 12 p.m. there in Raipur and the front runner is ex chief minister Raman Singh. But as I said, the list is really, really long. Five tribal faces, three from the O BC community, and I'll just read out the list for you. Renuka Singh, an MP from Sarja, and she recently resigned as the minister of state V S3 time state BJP president, ex Cabinet Minister Ram Naam and from bar and go and let us a national vice president and former Cabinet minister Arun Sa, the current state BJP president, is also the front runner from the O BC community and Obi Choudary, a former is, is also in the fray and Aja Chandra of former cabinet minister. But as I said, the opposition is asking about the delay in government formation. But our sources are telling us that you know the name of the Chief Minister will be declared on Sunday. There in Raipur itself. All right, So a tale of many Chief Minister probables. That is what the sense is and, well, joining us now on the broadcast. Sanjay Singh, senior journalist and SHIFRA. Mathur, senior journalist as well Thanks very much to both of you for joining us on ND TV going across to you first. Uh sh Ram Mathur. You know, while we look at, uh, certain peculiar challenges that all of these states present, there are certain overarching challenges for the BJP as well, of course, the cast arithmetic, balancing that out both in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh and also, in a sense, balancing the old guard with fresh faces. Of course, the BJP is wanting to rejuvenate the party. Carter, with you know, and you know, the entire World Bank with having some fresh faces as well, you know, how do you look at these challenges? What do you think are the key factors that the BJP is looking at? As far as these chief Minister, candidates are concerned. Uh, that's true. V then that this is a time that B JP is also thinking of changing the pace of politics. Uh, because in this election, they have deliberately, I think, uh, kept in the forefront. The young leaders and young leaderships also. So I think that the major focus would be to change the face of, uh, uh, leadership in, uh, at least in Rajasthan. I can say, because one apparent factor. I see that, uh, if you talk about Rajasthan and all these states, you know, one of the factors definitely remains that the tribal population has played a big role in CH. If you see in Chhattisgarh, you know, because in, uh, Rajasthan, they have, uh the tribal population is approximately 13% in Madhya Pradesh, approximately 20 21%. And in Chhattisgarh, approximately 35 37% in Chhattisgarh, which was, uh, uh not indicated to be a winning state for B JP, but it it has one for that very factor with where tribal data So definitely change of face would be, uh would be in the mind, uh, of, uh, B JP leadership, Uh, in Rajasthan. Uh, if I may say that, you know, in in pole, one of the critical factors has remained that, uh, nobody was speculating, at least the voter and the analyst. But we were not expecting this much of number, but what was the game changer in in Rajasthan election that B JP Carter and the RSS. Carr has played a big role. So I think that in that it is going to be a very important factor that sun will have a major say in Rajasthan. That's an interesting point, because sh just sort of two days before the counting or one day before the counting. We also saw Raja reaching out to the RSS, meeting RSS leaders there and of course you have Baba Balak na as well, So that's an interesting point there. But Sanjay is saying, you know, the BJP took a big gamble that in none of the states it announced a chief Minister candidate that many would call a big gamble. But it worked in the favour of the BJP. So do you think that largely, who will be the chief minister is irrelevant? Because ultimately it's brand Modi And ultimately it's a high command sort of managing or micro managing these states as well. So does it really matter? You know who the chief minister will you know will be because B JP is also looking at the next 10 years, not just the next five years. So the B JP is going to, you know, sort of place its bets very carefully. Uh, since you say that B JP will be looking for next five years or 10 years, it is important as to who Chief Minister is because the state is ultimately has to be managed by the Chief Minister. The central leadership. I don't think the micro manage in terms of election. When it comes to election strategy. Yes, they have a measure measure, measure, say, even in these assembly elections, they had a measure set and it was part of their strategy. I wouldn't say that as a gamble, but yes, a shift in the strategy because these elections were that they wanted to go with collective leadership and that paid off. And therefore the person who or who is chief minister, he or she has to carry the programmes and other developmental work done by the centre and also do something in the street to instil more confidence amongst the people. So when they go to polls should be announced in three months time. From now, there is renewed confidence among the BJP supporters, sympathisers and voters there and the central leadership Prime Minister Modi in particular he goes to campaigning in these states. He can say that in these three months we have made this difference. This, of course, is a different thing altogether. But yes, therefore it is taking such time. They actually both there has to be some degree of consensus even if there are contenders, even if there is going to be some heartburn. Of course there would be some heartburns Speaking of heartburn and just saying, you know, veterans cannot also be ignored and sh let me take this question to you in all the three states, whether it was Raja or Raman Singh or Shivraj Singh. Johan these veterans and what they bring to the table that cannot be ignored either because they will ultimately play an important role when it comes to the 2024 campaign as well. So, you know, if they are not made chief ministers, what role do you see them playing? Going ahead. And, you know, how important do you think this veteran factor is? Or this old guard is when it comes to the Chief Minister, You know that that decision. So I think there are two things that one. When the old guards are to be changed, then they have to be given major responsibility at the centre. So that could be one strategy that they are given more. Uh uh uh, you know, more responsibilities at the central level at the same, I think, very categorically it has been conveyed. That change of face, uh, faces, uh, of, uh, of the chief Ministers is imminent. Uh, and I also bring in, uh, the, uh you know, one to bring in the factor that, you know, uh, at the ground level, the people who have very good command because they are looking at the locals by elections, apparently. And, uh uh, you know, giving the seat is, uh, more than the cast factor. I believe that the, uh, the, uh, young face is more important to win the factor. Who can, uh, who people can look up to, you know, beyond the cast. Uh so I think that's going to be very factor person who has who can, who can be, you know, in in the good books of youth also, who can target youth Also the same multiple factors have to be looked at. But Sanjay Singh, I'm afraid I'm running completely out of time. If I had to ask you what is that one factor that's going to be most crucial? Is it going to be the top of the high command or the cost factor? What is it? Somebody who combines all of these. Ok, that's a difficult choice. But yes, somebody who can carry the message of the Union government, the works done by the union government and somebody who has right kind of social support base on the ground, who can maximise or forecast that Prime Minister Modi said, uh, you you are kisan Mila. And what was for the forecast that he talked about, right? Absolutely So it is indeed a tough choice. The task has been cut out for the high command marathon meetings underway. Thanks very much to both of you for joining us on the TV. We'll keep a close watch on this. Of course, the suspense continues. We'll take a short break now. There's more news on the other side.
