Deconstructing Shivraj Singh Chouhan-ll

In his 15-year long parliamentary career from 1991 to 2006, Shivraj made sure he is not identified with any fraction in the party. Having won from one of the safest BJP seats in India—Vidisha—he felt himself spared of the worries of nurturing the constituency.

Except for annual mass Kanyadan of marriageable girls in his constituency -- an abiding fixation with him even today as a government policy--, he hardly did any thing for the constituency all these years. Instead, he focused on winning over senior BJP leaders and climbing ladder.

The lady luck, of course, never deserted him. The ascendance continued. So also elevation in party hierarchy. He became BJYM national president then BJP all India secretary and then general secretary. He also unsuccessfully contested state BJP president election against Vikram Verma.

The 2003 assembly election offered Shivraj an opportunity to return to state politics. The situation was ripe for him to become CM. But he lacked charisma that Uma possessed in abundance. Shivraj bided for his time. His mentors in Delhi had foretold him to gear up to replace Uma as MP Chief Minister sooner or later as the landslide victory for BJP in the assembly poll was a foregone conclusion.

The decision to field him against Digvijay Singh in Raghogarh seat was part of the strategy for his future anointment. The idea was to see to it whether he lost or won against the chief minister in his feudatory, Shivraj would share limelight with Uma Bharti. He lost but that didn’t matter. His political stock continued to rise.

Shivraj was very close to becoming Chief Minister in 2004 when BJP leaders conspired to oust Uma from CM’s gaddi barely eight months after she led the party to historic victory. Of course, her abject ineptitude was also responsible for Uma’s inglorious exit.

Uma, however, was still powerful enough to scuttle Shivraj’s chance. By this time, she had smelt the party leaders’ conspiracy against her. She succeeded in getting Babulal Gaur as her replacement. That was her wisest, if inadvertent, decision for the party’s interest. Gaur’s 15-months rule as CM is arguably the best-administered period in entire BJP dispensation.

However, Gaur was only a stop-gap arrangement, a fact he was not probably aware but his bosses in Delhi knew from the day one.

Gaur braved stiff opposition within his cabinet to carry on governance with aplomb. Shivraj was made state BJP president to breath in the Gaur’s neck more closely. The BJP high command had no patience for Gaur’s zeal to transform MP. He was shown the door. In came Shivraj. His succession took place on November 26, 2007 in high-voltage political drama the State had ever witnessed.

Events moved in quick succession- Uma was suspended and then expelled from the BJP; her four supporter MLAs too suspended but never disqualified; her political stock began to diminish quickly; her supporters started returning to the BJP, and before too long, she made herself completely irrelevant in politics through sheer self-destructive political moves.

The more Uma revealed her political immaturity and arrogance couched in self-righteous indignation, the stronger Shivraj grew. Comparison between them was inevitable. So, the public viewed even the lack- luster Shivraj administration as a relief in the face of lurking danger of Uma toppling the government.

But that did not mean, the electorate was happy with the Government. It was just that people were restlessly waiting for the assembly poll to oust the BJP government. Even the Subhash Yadav’s amusing leadership of the State Congress and befuddling inaction did not daunt the people to cherish the hope. By election results were showing which way the wind was blowing.

But, once again, Shivraj’s stars came to his rescue. Suresh Pachouri replaced Yadav. Within nine months from February to November 2008, the Pachouri’s leadership turned the table on the Congress. Pachouri, who was expected to be Chouhan’s nemesis, proved the Chief Minister’s Man Friday.