The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has declared its three mayoral candidates for Bhopal, Indore and Jabalpur. Bhopal district president Alok Sharma has been announced as the party's mayoral candidate for the upcoming municipal corporation polls in Bhopal.
The BJP's State election committee met on Sunday and also announced the party's legislator Malini Gaud as the party's mayoral candidate for Indore and Swati Godbole as its candidate for the post of Mayor for Jabalpur Municipal Corporation. No decision was taken for the mayoral candidate in Chhindwara, as consensus could not reach on one name. Candidate for Chhindwara is likely to be announced later on Monday, the last date for filing nominations.
Sources said the meeting on Sunday was a mere formality where the candidates' names as recommended by the divisional committees were read out. Those present agreed to the recommendations made by the divisional committees. The committees were set up by the party prior to the local bodies' polls with a view to selecting candidates who have been recommended by grass-roots leaders rather than being thrust by the State leadership.
Party sources claimed that the reason behind consensus on three names was that Bhopal's candidate Alok Sharma was lone choice of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, while Indore's Malini Gaud was the choice of senior BJP leader and former Indore Mayor Krishna Murari Moghe. Similarly, Jabalpur's candidate Swati Godbole is wife of senior party leader Sadanand Godbole, who is also party's State executive member. Sangh played an important role in deciding the ticket of Swati, sources say.
The election committee meeting was chaired by State BJP president Nandkumar Singh Chauhan. Those present at the meeting included MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, former CMs Sunderlal Patwa, Kailash Joshi, former Union minister Vikram Verma, Satyanarain Jatiya, former Indore Mayor Krishna Murari Moghe, former State Minister Ramkrishna Kusmaria, State BJP mahila morcha president lata Wankhede and State BJP organisational general secretary Arvind Menon.
Sources added that the decision to field Alok Sharma from Bhopal and Malini Gaud from Indore was taken on Saturday itself after a meeting between Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, State BJP president Nandkumar Singh Chouhan and organisational general secretary Arvind Menon. However, a formal announcement was made on Sunday after the State election committee meeting.