Performance of state ministers worries BJP as MP enters poll year

Bhopal, Dec 26 (IANS) With the elections for the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly getting closer and the preparations to speed up by the beginning of 2023, the state's ruling BJP does not want to repeat the mistakes it made in 2018.


Therefore, along with over 60 sitting MLAs, over a dozen cabinet ministers, whose performances were found poor in the internal survey reports, have been given an ultimatum for the next three months to rework on their performances, highly placed sources told IANS.

In the last Assembly elections (2018), all sitting ministers were given tickets, of which 13 had lost, which was also one of the key reasons the BJP could not reach a majority mark of 116 to form the government.

This time, the top leadership of the state BJP seems not to be confident of over a dozen sitting ministers, and therefore to remain in power, the saffron party does not want to make the same mistake in the 2023 elections.

Sources said that Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan during a meeting with his cabinet ministers recently has given an ultimatum to over a dozen ministers; including those who are loyalists of the Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia. The performance of the ministers, who have been given an ultimatum, will be reviewed again after three months.

"The situation is very different for the BJP, and it is because of various reasons. Therefore, the party will take every step strategically. At least, 13-14 sitting ministers and 60 MLAs are likely to be denied tickets in the 2023 elections," a trusted source told IANS.

At present, the worrying situation for the ruling BJP has arisen due to an internal survey report, which found performance of about 40 per cent MLAs as poor and unsatisfactory. The list includes some ministers also.

"The party has given a last warning to the MLAs to improve performance or face denial of party ticket for the Assembly polls," BJP functionaries said, seeking anonymity.

The MLAs and Ministers have been given three months to improve their perception among people. "We are clear that we will not give tickets to MLAs whose performance is poor. There is a clear cut question - can you win the election? The party has a long queue of eligible candidates and why should they not be given a chance to perform well enough," a BJP functionary said, wishing not to be named.

However, some party functionaries were also of the view that internal survey isn't the main reason of worry for the BJP, but various other reasons, which is why the BJP did want to leave any loophole ahead of the elections.

"Shivraj Singh Chouhan would have confidence in all his cabinet ministers, had it (cabinet) been fully selected on his own choice. Those who have not followed Chouhan's instructions, despite his repeated instructions in the last two years, can't make their performance better in next three or six months," a BJP functionary told IANS.