The BJP’s push to topple the Kamal Nath government in Madhya Pradesh has led to a silent tussle for power among party leaders in the heartland state.

Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who was chief minister thrice, remains the top claimant for the chief minister’s post if the BJP manages to snatch power from the Congress. But others are also jockeying for power, propelled by an understanding that the former chief minister doesn’t enjoy the trust of the current leadership.

According to sources in the party, senior leader and MLA Narottan Mishra is seen as a strong contender followed by Narendra Singh Tomar, agriculture and rural development minister in the Narendra Modi government.

Mishra and Tomar hail from the Gwalior region of Madhya Pradesh. Jyotiraditya Scindia, who recently jumped ship and joined the BJP, hails from the Gwalior royal family.

Party leaders said that sensing a challenge from these leaders; Chouhan has come out aggressively in claiming the mantle. He has paraded the BJP MLAs and taken the lead in approaching the Supreme Court to demand an immediate floor test in the Assembly.

Chouhan was counted in the anti-Modi lobby in the BJP in the run-up to the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. This past has made his rivals in the party in the state feel that the current central leadership may not be keen to elevate him to the chief minister’s chair again.

“Shivraj-ji has had a long stint as chief minister. Now the central leadership should groom a fresh leader in Madhya Pradesh,” a BJP leader from the state said, acknowledging lobbying in the party.

Many in the central party, however, feel that even though the current leadership may not like Chouhan, it would be difficult for them to sideline the leader, given his mass appeal in the state.

“Shivraj-ji still continues to be the most popular leader of the BJP in Madhya Pradesh. Others who are trying to challenge him are at best leaders of certain regions in the state,” one BJP MP said.

This MP felt that most MLAs of the party in the state would back Chouhan.

After the defeat in the 2018 assembly polls, the central leadership had not appointed Chouhan as the leader of the Opposition and instead gave signals of getting him out of the state to Delhi.

Chouhan was even made party vice-president and tasked with a membership drive. Gopal Bhargava was made the leader of Opposition in the state.

Party insiders, however, said that Chouhan continued to “staunchly” but “politely” resist the offer of moving to Delhi. “He (Chouhan) used to spend most of his time travelling in the state and address large public gatherings that underlined his popularity. This made it difficult for the central leadership to ignore him,” one BJP leader said.

Despite Chouhan’s strong credentials, many in the party feel that it would be difficult to rule out a change of leadership in the state with certainty, given the style of the central leadership to spring surprises. “We have to wait and see till the drama is over. Anything can happen in this party,” a BJP leader from the state said.