The BJP MlAs have been empowered to recommend names of candidates for corporators, but they would not have any say in the selection of candidates for Mayoral posts, particularly in Bhopal. After prolong deliberations, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has agreed on giving right to the legislators for recommending the names for the post of corporators in their constituencies. That too, on the condition that they would not have any right on deciding the candidate for the post of Mayor.
Notably, BJP circles feel that Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has already finalised district BJP president Alok Sharma as the candidate for Bhopal's Mayor post and taken the party legislators into confidence.
Since, the legislators have not been given any right to decide the mayoral candidate, the Chief Minister and party organisation leaders who time and again asked the MlAs to desist from recommending names of local leaders for corporators' election, agreed here on Saturday that the candidates for corporators' posts would be selected on the recommendations of the MlAs.
At a meeting of party leaders Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, State BJP organizational general secretary Arvind Menon and State BJP president Nandkumar Singh Chouhan, it has been decided that the MlAs would be given freehand in deciding candidates for corporators' post in their constituencies.
It has been learnt that on the request of Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the party organization has agreed on the name of Alok Sharma as mayoral candidate from Bhopal and MlA Malini Gaud from Indore. Similarly, the names of Vijay Yadav from Chhindwara and Ashwani Paranjapey from Jabalpur are being considered as final.
Party sources claimed that the Chief Minister had on Friday evening summoned all the party legislators and advised not to interfere in the constituency of others. They should only remain restricted to recommend names of their supporters in their respective constituencies only.
Meanwhile, talking to media persons here on Saturday, State BJP president Nandkumar Singh Chouhan said that the criterion for selecting mayoral candidates would also be the internal survey that the party has conducted in the respective cities. The cities where the municipal elections are scheduled on January 31 are Bhopal, Indore, Chhindwara and Jabalpur.