On March 17, the eve of Holi, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan was doing what he does best. Clad in colourful traditional outfits, Chouhan and his wife, Sadhna, danced merrily to tribal music at the Bhagoria fair in Barwani. Later, he addressed the people, asking them to enjoy Holi as, after two years, Covid-19 was not casting a shadow on the festivities. He also announced welfare measures for the region.
Chouhan, who was just a week short of completing the second year of his fourth term as chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, had, on the day, crossed a personal milestone. The 63-year-old became the BJP’s longest serving chief minister as he crossed former Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh’s mark of 15 years and 10 days. But, there was no mention of this at any level. Chouhan himself told THE WEEK that personal achievements were not significant.
However, the fact that Chouhan has successfully administered a big, politically key state like Madhya Pradesh for such a long time cannot be ignored. Chouhan got his fourth term after the Congress government collapsed within 15 months of taking charge in 2018. Because of that loss, the BJP is assessing his potential to win in 2023. After the BJP’s leadership changes in states like Gujarat, Uttarakhand and Karnataka, there have been speculations of a new face replacing Chouhan.
This story is from the April 03, 2022 edition of THE WEEK.
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This story is from the April 03, 2022 edition of THE WEEK.
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