New Delhi: As political circles are abuzz with speculations over the BJP’s chief ministerial candidate for the upcoming Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections, Union Minister Piyush Goyal said the saffron party contests all elections on one ideology and that is to make India a developed country. Addressing a media query on the party’s chief ministerial face for the MP polls, Goyal on Sunday said, “We fight each and every election with 'kamal' (lotus symbol) as our face and all our party workers follow one ideology, that is to make India a developed country and help the countrymen fulfil their dreams.”
The minister’s statement comes in the wake of the BJP having fielded 79 candidates, including party stalwarts and Union Ministers Narendra Singh Tomar, Prahlad Patel and Faggan Singh Kulaste, for the state polls.
Incumbent chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who hasn’t been fielded by the BJP, at a recent rally asked the people if they want to see him as the next CM, PTI reported.
"I want to ask you whether I am running a good government or a bad government. So, should this government move ahead or not? Should `Mama' (maternal uncle, as he is popularly called) become chief minister or not,” CM Chouhan said at a rally in Dindori on Friday.
The Opposition Congress, however, alleged he was putting pressure on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, through his remarks.
State Congress chief Kamal Nath said CM Chouhan’s remarks expose the “frustration” of the BJP.
Taking to X, Nath posted, “First, PM Modi stopped mentioning Chouhan and dropped him from the race for the chief minister's post. In response to this and to put pressure on the prime minister, the chief minister started asking people whether he should contest the elections or not and now he is directly asking whether Modi ji should be the prime minister or not."
"Those who got tickets are not ready to fight, and those who are out of the race for the ticket are fighting with everyone," he added.