However, all those murmurs are now gradually disappearing from the political circles of the state.
The speculation about possible changes in BJP leadership was so much that whenever Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan or Home Minister Narottam Mishra or state BJP chief V.D. Sharma visited Delhi to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Home Minister Amit Shah or party President J.P. Nadda, whispers about possible changes in state BJP escalated in Madhya Pradesh.
The buzz only grew when the BJP’s two-day national executive meeting was held in January. It was believed that the central leadership of the BJP will introduce a new face as state BJP chief replacing Sharma.
However, as the Assembly elections get closer, it seems Chouhan and Sharma are likely to continue to lead the party until the polls.
Sahmra’s tenure as state BJP chief ends this month, and it is believed that he will be given an extension.
Sharma, a first-time MP from Khajuraho, took charge as state BJP chief on February 15, 2020, just a month before the BJP returned to power in the state as the Kamal Nath-led Congress government collapsed after Jyotiraditya Scindia, along with over 20 party MLAs, switched to the BJP.
Notably, a buzz about replacing Sharma grew strong during the two-day state working committee meeting held in Bhopal in January.
When all the state BJP leaders, including Union ministers and Rajya Sabha MPs, were in Bhopal for the meeting, a tribal BJP leader and Rajya Sabha MP, Sumer Singh Solanki, who was considered a front-runner for the post of state BJP chief, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi on the same day.
His meeting with Modi further strengthened the speculation of a possible change in state BJP leadership.
A senior state BJP functionary told , "There is a strong possibility that Sharma’s tenure as state BJP President will be extended. Though an official announcement in this regard is yet to come from the party’s Central leadership, a signal has already been given about the extension of Sharma’s tenure."
Political observers also claimed that there are little chances that the party would replace Sharma, especially when the elections are just a few months away.
"While politics is full of uncertainty, given the situation, there are reasons to believe that Sharma will get an extension," said a political observer.
<br>pd/arm