The message from the BJP is loud and clear after union home minister Amit Shah’s mega press conference on Sunday – the face of the Madhya Pradesh assembly election is not Shivraj Singh Chouhan, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Asked who will be the next chief minister, Shah said, “Why are you getting into what the job of the party is? That’s the job of our party, we will decide.”

In fact, Chouhan’s name was hardly mentioned and, that too, only while giving a historical perspective of the state’s polity or at the very beginning of the speech. The stage from which Shah presented the BJP’s ‘report card’ did not have faces of any other leader but the rather large press conference hall had a number of standees with the prime minister’s face.

Apart from Chouhan, Shah also shared the stage with state unit president VD Sharma – the chief minister’s arch rival till a few weeks back – and state home minister Narottam Mishra, another new power centre in Madhya Pradesh. Usually, the BJP goes into assembly elections with the face of its incumbent chief minister – in this case, Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

But News18 has learnt that the decision not to go with him as the campaign face – even though Shah used adjectives such as lokpriya and mehnati for him – was taken at the highest level. In fact, campaign songs with Modi’s name are already out and merchandise will follow soon.

Four reasons why it’s Modi and not Shivraj

One of the main reasons for the decision is said to be the factionalism within the Madhya Pradesh BJP unit, where there are different camps belonging to Chouhan, Sharma, union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia among others. “Modi is one face that unifies the Centre-state unit, and everyone will be happy to work for him,” said a BJP leader from Madhya Pradesh on condition of anonymity.

Though in early July, during his sudden evening visit to Bhopal, Shah had made it clear that the party has to fight as one unit and launch its ‘Vijay Sankalp Abhiyan’, he does not seem too eager to be taking any risks. The result of the MP assembly election will directly have a bearing on next year’s Lok Sabha, for which the BJP has already sounded the poll bugle.

“The prime minister will increasingly be addressing more political rallies in the months to come. So him being the face of the Madhya Pradesh election will complement the BJP’s Lok Sabha poll campaign warm-up,” said the same BJP leader.

Even Shah’s ‘report card’ speech was peppered with numbers articulating “how much the prime minister has given to the people of Madhya Pradesh”. Third, the BJP is facing anti-incumbency in the state due to its 17-year rule.

In fact, riding on similar sentiments, Kamal Nath had come to power (in 2018). But when it comes to Prime Minister Modi, he still enjoys record approval ratings across India. And the BJP wishes to use Modi’s pro-incumbency to curb Chouhan’s anti-incumbency.

Last, the BJP wishes to give a chance to a number of younger leaders and party cadres this time. Sources said a record number of existing MLAs will not get tickets this time. And so, if PM Modi remains the face of the assembly election, chances of a revolt will almost be non-existent. But, on the other hand, Chouhan leading the poll campaign may allow dissidents to thwart the party’s chances in their former constituencies.

Quite predictably, the Congress is in no mood to let it pass. When asked about Amit Shah’s statement that the BJP would take a call on next MP Chief Minister in due course, Congress leader Jitu Patwari said: “It’s a clear message that even the BJP is not relying on Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s face as it’s damaged in public perception.”

‘Modi jaisa bhakt hai aaya’: In songs

Already an array of musicals are out, where the lyrics revolve around the PM. ‘Mahakal’ is a famous deity of the state and, in one such song, Modi is portrayed as a ‘Shiva bhakt’. It goes like this: “Mahakal lok ka lokarpar Bhole baba ke man bah, Modi jaisa bhakt hai aaya.” The song also has a music video format where Modi is the sole focus.

Another song is targeted at tribal communities, which highlights how the Modi-led central government’s free ration packages have helped the poor survive the toughest of times. Though none of these songs are part of the official BJP campaign, those who know about them said they were released at the behest of the party with the intention of mounting a Modi-centric campaign. Sources said next in line is Modi merchandise that will make its way to the state and be distributed among cadres and targeted segments.

In one of the first meetings held by him, Shah had praised election incharge Bhupendra Yadav, who in his earlier role as election incharge of Gujarat had run some successful campaigns. Yadav’s campaigns during the Gujarat election – the PM’s home turf – were entirely Modi-centric. If Yadav has to repeat his ‘Gujarat magic’, he will have to lean on the tried and tested formula.

“No international leader has been showered with the kind of respect like Narendra Modi has by 14 countries, which have conferred on him their highest civilian awards. This is a record. It’s a matter of pride for us,” Shah said during the press conference earlier, blending ‘Garib Kalyan’ – the name of BJP’s report card on MP – with national pride.

Even as Shah leaves the decision for future, party insiders cautioned that making Modi the face of the MP election does not mean that the party is second-guessing who to make its chief minister after results but a mere pre-poll strategy.

“That is pre-decided. The party won’t deviate from its norm of going ahead with the incumbent CM, Shivraj Singh Chouhan,” said the BJP source.