BJP Won't Project Chief Minister Faces In Hindi-Speaking States: Sources

Senior BJP sources have big hopes from the "collective leadership" plan, pointing to the party's victory in the 2017 Uttar Pradesh election as a template for state polls.

The Bharatiya Janata Party will not project a chief ministerial candidate in any of the five state elections due later this year, particularly in the majority Hindi-speaking states of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, senior BJP sources told NDTV on Monday, adding the party plans to rely on "collective leadership" to win these polls and those in Telangana and Mizoram.

This insight into the BJP's strategy comes amid speculation over Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's immediate political future. Mr Chouhan, 64, has not been named as a candidate so far, sparking talk the party might axe him to counter anti-incumbency.

Earlier today party sources told NDTV talk that Mr Chouhan will be dropped is "completely wrong", but the caveat that "any leader can become chief minister" haven't exactly resolved the matter.