Bhopal: It wasn’t a slip of tongue when Shivraj Singh Chouhan, during his whirlwind campaign for the crucial byelections to 28 constituencies in Madhya Pradesh, called himself a “temporary chief minister” more than once.
With just 107 MLAs and a question mark over the loyalty of a couple of legislators, the public admission by Chouhan was a frank pointer to the arithmetic of the 230-member House.
When the senior BJP leader helmed the state in three previous terms from 2005 to 2018, the BJP had a comfortable majority in the House.
The rebellion by Jyotiraditya Scindia loyalists and subsequent resignations had reduced the Congress to 87 but the ruling BJP did not lower its guard even after securing support of four Independents, one SP and two BSP members. The seven non-BJP, non-Congress legislators had given ample proof of their fickle loyalty.
Tuesday’s results will allow the ruling BJP to breathe easy. At 6 pm, the party was ahead in 19 of the 28 seats and well on course to take its tally way beyond the halfway mark of 115. The BSP is also set to send one more member to the assembly.
The pitfalls of victory
However, the victory of most Scindia loyalists will saddle Chouhan with the unenviable task of dealing with a new pressure group, both in his cabinet and the party. Most former Congress leaders are expected to remain loyal to Scindia more than the BJP.
The results will also put paid to the hopes of BJP MLAs who were eyeing ministerial berths. Only three members of the Shivraj cabinet, from the Scindia camp, are trailing. They include Adal Singh Kansana, Girraj Dandotiya and Imarti Devi.
While seeking votes for the Scindia loyalists, Chouhan would often admit that the BJP could return to power only because of them. He would often use the same argument to convince party cadres to work for the former party rivals. Having won the electoral battle, Chouhan will now have to concentrate on governance.
“They used words like nanga (naked), bhooka (hungry), kamina (scoundrel), item… Voters don’t like such language,’’ Chouhan told reporters in Bhopal while crediting the victory to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership and the efforts of leaders like Scindia and Union Minister Narendra Tomar. “Modiji is a God’s gift to the nation,” he added.
BJP president V.D. Sharma said development was the main issue in the byelections and the voters punished the Congress because the party did not have anything to show during its 15-month rule. Recalling former chief minister Kamal Nath’s ‘item’ comment, Sharma claimed the Opposition party paid a heavy price for insulting Imarti Devi, “a Dalit woman”.
Pradesh Congress Committee chief Kamal Nath said his party will respect the mandate.
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