A day after various exit polls predicted an edge for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Madhya Pradesh, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan remained cautious in answering any questions on who would lead the government if his party retained power in the State. “Bharatiya Janata Party zindabad,” he said, in response to reporters’ queries.
M.P. Congress president Kamal Nath, on the other hand, termed the exit polls a “conspiracy to demoralise the Congress workers and pressurise the officials”.
The State went to the polls on November 17, with 230 Assembly seats at stake. The counting of votes and declaration of results will take place on Sunday. Most of the exit polls released on Thursday evening predicted a clear majority for the BJP, but there were a few that forecast a wafer-thin majority for the Congress.
BJP national president J.P. Nadda also visited the State’s Gwalior and Datia districts and met with senior leaders, including Mr. Chouhan, Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, and State Home Minister Narottam Mishra. Mr. Scindia accompanied Mr. Nadda from Delhi, with the BJP chief also visiting his Jai Vilas Palace in Gwalior along with Mr. Chouhan. Mr. Nadda also paid a visit to the Ma Pitambara Peeth in Datia.
Cautious response
Speaking to reporters in Gwalior, Mr. Chouhan said: “Due to the hard work of all our workers and people’s blessings and also because of the Central Government’s schemes whether its the PM Gareeb Kalyan Yojana, PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, PM Awas Yojana and M.P. government schemes like Ladli Behna Yojana, Ladli Laxmi Yojana because of which the BJP has made a special place in the hearts of the sisters... And whether it’s our addition to the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi or it’s Mukhya Mantri Seekho Kamao Yojana, it is a result of taking these various schemes to the ground that the BJP is again going to get a majority.”
When asked whether he would become the CM for the fifth time, Mr. Chouhan would only say: “Bharatiya Janata Party zindabad.”
In a video message to Congress workers through social media platform X, Mr. Nath said that all Congress workers should come to the field in full force as the BJP had lost the election. He claimed that some exit polls have been deliberately created to frustrate Congress workers, and to put pressure on officials by creating a false atmosphere.”
‘Conspiracy’
“This conspiracy is not going to succeed. All Congress officials, district presidents, district in-charges, heads of morcha organisations and cell officials should get involved in their respective work and conduct fair counting of votes,” he said, adding, “We are all ready to win.”
Mr. Nath also asked the party workers to directly approach him or call at the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) headquarters in Bhopal in case of any problems on the counting day.
“I will be at the PCC for the entire day on December 3 and the Congress is going to form the government,” he said.
Congress national general secretary in-charge of M.P. Randeep Surjewala also released a video message for party workers, saying that he was confident that the BJP would lose on December 3.
“I am fully confident that on December 3, the injustice, unemployment, inflation, corruption and the BJP will lose. And the Congress will fulfil its promises by winning more than 135 seats,” he said, terming these elections as “public vs the BJP”.
Mr. Surjewala also called the exit polls “forged surveys”.
The Congress leader also warned officials from “trying to create any kind of disturbance”, pledging that the “upcoming Congress government would repay every penny”.
The fate of the 2,533 candidates who were in the fray in the State polls will be decided on December 3.
