Raipur. After winning 10 out of 11 Lok Sabha seats in Chhattisgarh, some of the newly elected MPs from the state may find a place in the Union Cabinet. The names that are being discussed before the formation of the Union Cabinet include Brijmohan Agarwal, who won with record votes from Raipur Lok Sabha seat, Vijay Baghel, who was elected MP for the second time from Durg Lok Sabha seat, Santosh Pandey, who won for the second time from Rajnandgaon Lok Sabha seat. Kamlesh Jangde, who became MP for the first time from Janjgir, a seat reserved for Scheduled Castes, and Mahesh Kashyap, who was elected from Bastar seat reserved for Scheduled Tribes. There are indications that one or two MPs from Chhattisgarh may be taken into the Union Cabinet. Earlier in 1999, in Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s government, Dilip Singh Judeo, Ramesh Bais and Dr. Raman Singh were made Union Ministers in undivided Madhya Pradesh. After the formation of the state, the process of appointing only one minister each from Chhattisgarh quota had started. The party suffered a big loss in the two BJP ruled states of Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, but the results in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh were as per expectations. It is believed that due to this reason, these two states will be given special preference in the Union Cabinet.
Know the equations in favour of the names which are being discussed in the Union Cabinet-
Brijmohan Agrawal: He is an eight-time MLA. His name is included in the top 10 MPs who won the election with the highest number of votes across the country. He was a minister in the Patwa government during the period of undivided Madhya Pradesh. He held the post of minister in the Raman government from 2003 to 2018. After the party’s big victory in the assembly elections in 2023, he was made the School Education Minister in the Say government. While being a minister, the BJP high command gave him a Lok Sabha ticket. Brijmohan Agrawal is considered an expert in management. Be it election management or strategy. He is an expert in parliamentary affairs. He is known for aggressively attacking the strategy of opposition parties within the House.
Vijay Baghel: He is a one-time MLA and two-time MP. He has won the election by the highest margin compared to 2019. He fits the social equation. He is one of the biggest leaders of the influential Kurmi community coming under the OBC category. He is a relative of former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel. In the assembly elections, the party fielded him against Baghel. He had to face defeat in the election amid tough competition. BJP gave him a Lok Sabha ticket for the second time. There was also speculation of him being made a minister in the last cabinet expansion of the Modi government. He fits the OBC-centric political formula prevailing in the country.
Santosh Pandey: Elected MP from Rajnandgaon seat for the second time. He is a vocal face of Hindutva. He is one of the big faces of the upper caste society in the state. He has held the responsibility of State BJP General Secretary. He is one of the trusted faces of RSS. He is considered a skilled organization manager. Another coincidence with Santosh Pandey is that when Dr. Raman Singh became MP in 1999 after defeating former Chief Minister Motilal Vora, he was made a minister in the Atak government. On the basis of this equation, there is a lot of discussion about his name that he defeated former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel in the election. Motilal Vora also came from Durg district and so did Bhupesh Baghel.
Kamlesh Jangde: Along with the Scheduled Caste category, the women factor is with her. She has won the election from the Congress stronghold. Congress holds the eight assembly seats of Janjgir Lok Sabha. It is considered to be the influential area of Leader of Opposition Dr. Charandas Mahant. She comes from the state’s largest division Bilaspur region. She is a young MP who started student politics from ABVP and reached here.
Mahesh Kashyap: He is a vocal face on the issue of Hindutva and conversion in tribal-dominated Bastar. Youth and tribal factor are associated with him. He can be given representation on the basis of the equation of linking Bastar with development through mining and industry along with the commitment of the central government to eradicate Naxalism.
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