BHOPAL: A visibly elated Shivraj Singh Chouhan accepted the people’s verdict with modesty – which has been a hallmark of his amiable persona. He is the BJP’s longest-serving chief minister in the country.
Stepping short of attributing the massive win to his Mukhyamantri Ladli Behna Scheme, the CM credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “magic” for the poll success in MP.
“Our beloved PM is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people of MP. The faith in him has led to this stellar result. It was the people-centric policies of the double-engine governments (Centre and state) that led to this performance. The Ladli Behana Yojana too was one of the schemes that benefited all sections,” Chouhan told this newspaper.
The extent of change that marks Chouhan’s rise since November 2005 — drawing a parallel with Partap Singh Kairon in post-Independence Punjab — can be seen by statistics. Between 2004-05 and 2021-22, the net sown area (NSA) in MP has risen just 5.7%, from 149.75 lakh to 158.23 lakh hectares. But its gross cropped area (GCA) — from the same land being cultivated once or more than once in a year — has gone up by 48.7%.
Chouhan was born in a Kirar family in the Jait village of Sehore district. He is a gold medalist in MA Philosophy from Barkatullah University. He is an agriculturist by profession. His early political career began when he entered Lok Sabha in 1975 after the anti-Emergency agitation. About the polls, he said: “I never saw a close battle or anti-incumbency. I was always confident about such a huge win.”