Not dislodging anyone in Madhya Pradesh, says Shivraj Singh Chauhan

Madhya Pradesh former chief minister and BJP vice president Shivraj Singh Chauhan Sunday asserted his party is not dislodging anyone but it cannot do anything if the state government "falls due to infighting" within the Congress.

Chauhan, who was here during the weekend to address the district-level and regional-level heads of BJP's membership drive, said this when he was asked whether the BJP will form government in Madhya Pradesh before the assembly elections are held.

"Now, if the Congress (government) falls due to infighting in the party, then we cannot do anything. We are not dislodging anyone, but whatever is going on there (in MP) is not good," he told PTI in an interview.

The 15-year power drought ended for the Congress in Madhya Pradesh in 2017 when it defeated the saffron party in the assembly poll.

Calling himself a "staunch supporter" of 'One Nation, One Election', the senior BJP leader, who is heading the party's membership drive, said Lok Sabha polls should be held along with Assembly elections to various states so that "uninterrupted development" can take place.

"I am a staunch supporter of One Nation, One Election. And, I have been supporting this concept while I was the chief minister. Continuous polls disrupt development and derail the country, as all political parties are engaged 24x7 in preparations for the next elections," Chauhan said.

He said, "In the interest of the country, the Lok Sabha polls should be held along with Assembly elections to various states so that uninterrupted development can take place for five years. When the focus of all the parties is on winning the elections, there is no long-term planning for the development of the country".

Highlighting the need for simultaneous elections, the three-time chief minister said, "As soon as the Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh were over, preparations started for the Lok Sabha elections. Now, after the parliamentary elections, it will be states like Haryana and Maharashtra, which are gearing up for polls."
After Modi addressed a NITI Aayog meeting recently, an official release said, "The Prime Minister called for widespread debate and consultations on simultaneous elections for Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabhas, keeping in view various aspects such as the resulting financial savings and consequent better utilisation of resources."
When asked to comment on the events unfolding in West Bengal and its Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Chauhan said, "She has lost her mental balance and has become very agitated. Modiji's popularity definitely played an important role in BJP's stupendous performance in the Lok Sabha polls in Bengal."