Shivraj Singh Chouhan first became the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh in November 2005.
Highlights
- The Congress has won 114 of the 230 seats in Madhya Pradesh
- The party will form the government with help from BSP, SP
- Shivraj Chouhan has congratulated the Congress for the win
Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who led the BJP to three straight victories in Madhya Pradesh, has congratulated the Congress for being the voters' choice in this assembly election and also thanked BJP workers for their best efforts. The Congress has won 114 of the 230 seats in the assembly, and with the help of Mayawati, Akhilesh Yadav and four independents, it is all set to make a comeback in the state after 15 years.
After the seat tally didn't favour his party, the three-time chief minister took responsibility for the result and bowed out as a content man.
"Kya haar mein, kya jeet mein, kinchit nahin bhaybhit main, kartavya path par jo bhi mila, yeh bhi sahi woh bhi sahi (Victory or defeat, nothing scares me. I will accept whatever comes my way in the path of duty)," Shivraj Singh Chouhan recited a few lines from a poem by Shiv Mangal Singh "Suman" before resigning from his post.
After the BJP managed 109 seats, the party indicated it could meet the governor for a shot at power. But Mr Chouhan clarified today, "We did not win a majority, so will not stake claim."
The 59-year-old BJP leader, who is popularly known as "mama" in the state, first became the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh in November 2005, after the tumultuous run of the BJP-government that came to power in 2003 which then waded through political turbulence by having two chief ministers in a short span of two years.
In 2003, Union Minister Uma Bharati had dethroned the then Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh and remained at the top post from till August 2004. Mr Digvijaya had defeated Shivraj Chouhan in Raghogarh.
The following year, however, Uma Bharti resigned after she faced an arrest warrant in connection with the 1994 Hubli riots. After that, Babulal Gaur took over and remained the chief minister till November 2005. But he was forced to step down as Ms Bharti demanded that she be made the chief minister.
Around this time, Mr Chouhan got an opportunity to become the chief minister.
With his back-to-back terms, he broke the record of his predecessor and senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh, who ruled the state for two consecutive years from 1993 to 2003.
His tenures have seen several challenges, including the Vyapam scam. The Vyapam scam refers to irregularities in exams held by the Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board, also called Vyavasayik Pareeksha Mandal or Vyapam, for admission in professional courses and state services.