INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
BJP Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, accepted responsibility for the party's defeat in the state, absolving the party's government at the
The BJP had trailed the Congress by five seats in a hard fought election, during which Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party chief Amit
Shah campaigned in the state multiple times
Mr Chouhan, who stepped down today, had said he respected the people's mandate and his party would not attempt to form the next government
in the state.Mr Chouhan had been the face of the campaign, but party chief Amit Shah shuttled in an out of the state more than 30 times
PM Modi had visited 10 times, holding rallies and public meetings
While it amped up the party's vote share - from 38 per cent to 40 per cent, the number of seats suffered a slide."If anyone is to blame for
that, it is Shivraj Chouhan, who couldn't do it in spite of so much cooperation
I am to blame, I must be lacking somewhere Despite the best of efforts by the central government, the party could not perform It is perhaps
responsibility for the loss on himself
But the BJP works collectively
We have collectively accepted that we haven't succeeded
The blame has also been taken collectively," said state BJP chief Rakesh Singh.Asked whether his future plans include a move to Delhi, Mr
Chouhan said, "Meri aatma yahan basti hai (my soul belongs in Madhya Pradesh)".The BJP suffered severe setbacks yesterday in all three
heartland states in an election that is seen as the semi-finals before next year's national elections
In 2014, the BJP had won a chunk of the Lok Sabha seats that Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh account for.All three, along with
Uttar Pradesh, happen to be bellwether states which also have a big say in which party comes to power at the Centre
Data from previous elections have shown that the party that wins the three states, also win a chunk of their Lok Sabha seats.In neighbouring
Chhattisgarh, where the BJP suffered a shock defeat, getting only 15 seats to the Congress's 68.
