Shivraj Singh Chouhan's remarks might have damaged party's prospects in Madhya Pradesh: BJP MP

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Raghunandan Sharma has blamed Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan for the uncertainty over the prospects of the party in the Assembly elections. Speaking to mediapersons on Sunday, Sharma suggested that people of Madhya Pradesh were upset over some statements of the Chief Minister during election campaign.

“People were angry that the Chief Minister used language like ‘Mai ka Lal’. This harmed us and it seems that had he not spoken such words, we would have been in a position to get 10-15 seats more. There would not have been a situation of uncertainty,” said the Rajya Sabha member.

The BJP leader further said that the party “might have made mistakes”, adding that though “the exit polls might turn out to wrong, but they also don’t meet expectations”.

Sharma, however, expressed confidence of the BJP winning the Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections, saying, “Let alone 200 plus seats, we will be satisfied if we get the number of seats we won last time. But even if we don't get that, BJP will get majority.”

Most of the exit polls for Madhya Pradesh have predicted a neck-and-neck race between the ruling BJP and the Congress party. Agencies like Jan Ki Baat, C Voter and Pace Media have suggested that both the parties may get numbers nearing the halfway mark, suggesting major political drama after the results are declared on December 11.

CNX has predicted a clear majority for the BJP, saying that the party will win 126 seats while the Congress tally will stand at 89. However, CSDS has predicted a clear victory for the Congress party, giving them 126 seats, and the BJP 94 seats.

The BJP, led by Shivraj Singh Chouhan, has been in power in Madhya Pradesh for 15 years, and the Congress is looking to ride on the anti-incumbency factor to make a comeback in the state. Polling in Madhya Pradesh was held on November 28.