Never been a contender for CM post, says Chouhan

As the BJP scored a landslide victory in Madhya Pradesh, bucking an anti-incumbency of close to two decades, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday said he has never been a contender for the CM’s post earlier or even now.

“I have never been a contender for the Chief Minister post, nor am I today. As a worker, I will always do whatever work the party gives me with my full dedication, capacity and honesty. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is our leader and I always felt proud and happy working with him,” CM Chouhan said.

“Today also, I’m not and I won’t be a CM contender later also. BJP workers work for a big mission, not for any particular post. Through that mission, whatever work we get, we do it with sincerity,” said MP CM Chouhan on Tuesday.

The election results in four states, especially the losses in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, came as a huge to the Congress’ hopes for 2024 as it is now out of power across a vast swathe of the Hindi heartland.

Madhya Pradesh went to poll for 230 assembly seats in a single phase on November 17 and its result was declared on Sunday along with three other states.

The Congress party stood at the second position by winning just 66 seats while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) registered a comprehensive victory in the state by winning 163 seats.

During the last 2018 state assembly elections, the Congress party stood first by winning 114 seats while the BJP came second and managed to win 109 seats.

Madhya Pradesh has been a BJP stronghold for the last twenty years, barring the 15-month tenure of the Kamal Nath-led government when Congress came to power in 2018.

Consciously deciding not to come out with a chief ministerial face, the BJP fought the polls under a largely collective leadership while the Congress projected Kamal Nath as its CM candidate.