‘We were a united lot and we fought together to the finish’

Interview with Shivraj Singh Chouhan, outgoing Chief Minister.

Shivraj Singh Chouhan addressing a press conference at the BJP State headquarters in Bhopal on December 12.

MADHYA PRADESH’S outgoing Chief Minister, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who ruled the State for 13 consecutive years, sounded calm and composed despite the fact that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was defeated in several key Assembly seats by a few hundred votes. In a telephonic interview to Frontline , he stated his resolve to continue to work for the betterment of the State, while taking “full responsibility” for the party’s defeat. Excerpts:

What led to the BJP’s defeat in this election though it was ahead of the Congress in the vote count? Does it expose the inefficiency of the party’s election machinery?

No, we have a dedicated cadre that works tirelessly in every election. They put in their best effort this time, too. But no one can really anticipate how the votes polled will convert into seats. The seat share has its own arithmetic, and it is not easy to forsee it, especially when a contest is close, as it was this time. In the 2008 Assembly elections, for example, we polled 38 per cent [37.64 per cent] of the total votes and that gave us a comfortable majority with 143 seats. This time our vote share was 41 per cent, more than the Congress’ 40.9 per cent, but it did not translate into an election victory. This was unfortunate, but we will analyse the election results shortly and take whatever measures are necessary to prevent its repeat in the 2019 Lok Sabha election.

Although you registered an emphatic victory in your constituency, Budhni, trouncing your nearest opponent, Arun Yadav of the Congress, by 58,999 votes, 13 of your Ministers got a drubbing. Did you pay for the unpopularity of your Ministers and the bureaucracy of the State?

Each one of my Ministers worked to ensure the party’s victory to the best of his ability. We were a united lot and we fought together to the finish, as the results also indicate. There was no shortcoming on their part. I take full responsibility for the defeat. I humbly accept the people’s verdict and I thank them for giving me an opportunity to serve the State for 13 years. My party and I will continue to work for the betterment of Madhya Pradesh.

The BJP’s tally in the farm belt of Malwa-Nimar, which it had swept in the last election, has come down from 56 to 28 this time. Agrarian issues and the farmers’ unrest were also the central theme of this election, which the Congress attempted to exploit with its loan waiver promise. Did indifference to farmers cost the election to the “farmer’s son”?

It would be unfair to allege that we did not work for the farmers or were not well disposed towards them. Indeed, our government envisaged the best policies for them, be it the Bhavantar Bhugtan Yojana, which we launched in October 2017, or the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana. In Mandsaur, which was projected as the epicentre of farmer unrest, we did exceptionally well. Why our party took a beating in Malwa-Nimar, that is something that will be looked into. Farmers’ issues have been our priority and will continue to remain so.

Did your refusal to announce a loan waiver for farmers, especially at a time when there is a slump in crop prices, put you at a disadvantage? The Congress promised in its manifesto that it would waive farm loans up to Rs.2 lakh within 10 days of forming the government?

We did whatever was possible in our capacity for the benefit of farmers. I do not wish to comment on the Congress’ loan waiver promise.

Your government was seen as an incentive-driven regime that sought to address anti-incumbency by doling out sops. But the Congress manifesto went one step ahead and promised freebies. Did that contribute to voter migration from the BJP?

We had been tirelessly working in the past 15 years for the overall development of the State. Incentives were announced from time to time to give immediate relief from distress. We framed our drishti patra after collecting feedback from all sections of society, and it focussed on the upliftment of all, especially farmers and women. The Congress released its own vachan patra , but I will refrain from talking about it.

Did rebel candidates cause your downfall?

The issue of rebel candidates is not exclusive to the BJP. Every party has to deal with such bickering at the time of elections. We did face rebels during this election but, as I said earlier, we fought a united battle and worked hard.