Unfazed over allegations of wrongdoings in Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board scam, state Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday said he will soon file a defamation case on the issue.
'This is my last election; hence, I need people's support and blessing to achieve and ensure victory.'
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed 14 rallies in Madhya Pradesh during campaigning for polls and reached out to young voters by reminding them of the failures of previous Congress governments on various fronts as he doubled down on development of all sections.
Some persons were injured in the incident which took place on Saturday night in Sadar area under Cantt police station limits, they said.
Many exit polls have kept the incumbent Bharatiya Janata party ahead of the Congress in what was a straight contest between two main parties. Assembly polls were held in the state in a single phase on November 17.
Among the new entrants to the Union cabinet, former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has been given the agriculture and rural development portfolios, Bharatiya Janata Party president J P Nadda the health portfolio and former Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar the power portfolio.
Holding up pictures of Lord Shiva, Guru Nanak, and Jesus Christ, he referred to Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism, Christianity, Buddhism and Jainism to underline the importance of fearlessness. He also cited the attributes of Lord Shiva and teachings of Guru Nanak, Jesus Christ, Buddha, and Mahavir to state that all religions and great people of the country have said "daro mat, darao mat (do not be scared, do not scare others)".
'The lack of a majority isn't the issue. He has enough in 240, especially as none of his allies can pull down his coalition.' 'That's why he's started as if this were just another, normal term. That pretence is vital for him.' 'The change for Modi 3.0 comes not from numbers, but from the new environment of contestation,' points out Shekhar Gupta.
Among the 30 Sensex companies, Larsen & Toubro, Power Grid, NTPC, State Bank of India, Reliance Industries and HDFC Bank were the biggest laggards. Sun Pharma and Nestle were the only gainers.
The event that was inaugurated by five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand will have 11 rounds before the best player in the under-20 category can be determined in both sections.
A fierce competition among parties to offer freebies and guarantees, a scramble for tribal, OBC, women votes and a touch of Hindutva -- all have combined to make the Madhya Pradesh assembly polls a high-stakes battle with main rivals BJP and the Congress pulling out all the stops to gain power.
Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh on Sunday hit out at Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan calling him a "coward" for "not holding even a single official press conference" during the past six years of his rule.
With this, the ruling BJP has so far declared candidates for 136 seats. Earlier, the BJP had announced 79 candidates, including two lists of 39 each, and another list of one nominee.
The 58-year-old leader was administered the oath of office by Governor Mangubhai Patel.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has dubbed as "baseless" the reports that he had reservations to having Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi being projected as the BJP's prime ministerial candidate.
With assets worth more than Rs 6.27 crore, Madhya Pradesh's Shivraj Singh Chouhan is the richest among those set to be appointed chief ministers in the four states.
Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi launched a no-holds-barred attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party in the Lok Sabha on Monday, saying the leaders of the ruling party are not Hindus as they engage in "violence and hate" round the clock, drawing massive protests from the treasury benches, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi accusing the Congress leader of calling the entire Hindu community violent.
Shaurya was found not walking properly by the tracking team around 11 am after which the wild animal was tranquilised and efforts were made to revive the feline, but they failed, said the statement.
While Chouhan has emerged as a favourite to remain at the helm in MP despite the presence of some challengers, the leadership race is wide open in Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, two states where the BJP has snatched power from the Congress.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday released its manifesto for the November 17 Madhya Pradesh elections promising MSP for wheat at Rs 2,700 per quintal and paddy at Rs 3,100 and houses for beneficiaries of the state's flagship scheme 'Ladli Bahna'.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday completed 10 years in office, becoming the first non-Congress chief minister in the state to do so.
'Bringing in Dr Mohan Yadav as the Yadav-OBC face from Ujjain as chief minister, and a scheduled tribe leader Jagdish Devda from Mandsaur district, and a Brahmin face Rajendra Shukla from Rewa, the BJP is making an attempt to put in place a new caste equation in the state keeping an eye on the general elections next year.'
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, and Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar supremo Sharad Pawar were among the famous faces who queued up at the polling booths on Tuesday to caste their votes in the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections.
Chief Minister-designate Mohan Yadav, an OBC leader and three-time Bharatiya Janata Party MLA, started his political career when he was a student and rose to become higher education minister of Madhya Pradesh where he announced to make Hindu epic Ramcharitmanas as an optional subject in colleges in 2021.
In 2023, this number has dropped to 90, nearly 39 per cent of the 230-member House, an ADR report said.
According to an Andhra government statement, Naidu 'reposed confidence' in the PM's leadership.
Shabnam Mausi has accused the BJP of betraying Uma Bharti.
Modi and Chouhan have visited Mahakoshal multiple times and reached out to tribals to shore up support for the BJP.
'The party is breaking stereotypes by not inviting senior leaders to become chief ministers.' 'No other party has had the guts to do this.'
Madhya Pradesh assembly polls have recorded a voter turnout of 77.15 per cent, which is 1.52 per cent higher than in 2018, as per the latest data released by the Election Commission of India.
'The 2024 election results will lead to much intense targeting of Modi, more intense debates, many more breakdowns in Parliament and many more movements on the streets.' 'The results have hit Modi's standing, and the politics of the Opposition parties will be sharply focused to ensure that Modi doesn't get back his charisma of being 'invincible' with help of State power.' Sheela Bhatt looks at the political situation through the prism of 2024 Lok Sabha election results.
Chouhan put the onus on senior Bharatiya Janata Party leaders to deal with the fallout of the crisis created by firebrand sanyasin Uma Bharti over his selection.
Shivraj Singh Chouhan was on Saturday sworn in as Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister for third consecutive term, nearly a week after he led Bharatiya Janata Party to a spectacular hat-trick in Assembly elections.
Chouhan had earlier announced constitution of 'happiness ministry' on the lines of Bhutan, the only country to have the gross national happiness index.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and his wife Sadhna Singh have sent a defamation notice to Congress President Sonia Gandhi and party state unit chief, demanding Rs 10 crore in damages, over an advertisement issued by Congress targeting his family.
There is a view that heavyweight portfolios like home, finance, defence and external affairs besides education and culture, two ministries with strong ideological hues, will be kept by the BJP, while its allies can get anywhere between five to eight cabinet berths.
Stepping up its attack, the Congress party on Monday said that Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan cannot escape responsibility for the "45 deaths" connected to Vyapam scam and that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should take "moral responsibility".
Saurashtra's middle-order batter Sheldon Jackson followed in senior teammate Cheteshwar Pujara's footsteps, completing his century on day two of their Ranji Trophy Group A tie against Rajasthan to guide the defending champions to a 300-plus total in Jaipur on Saturday.
The meeting, which began around 10:30 pm on Thursday, lasted for more than four hours and was held at the party's headquarters in New Delhi.
Watched by a galaxy of top party leaders, including BJP chief Rajnath Singh, Chouhan, 49 , was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor Balram Jakhar, marking a high-point in the three-decade-old career of a politician who had taken over the reins of the party in the state at a critical time following the resignation of Uma Bharti.