Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has exuded confidence that his party will form the government in the state with a comfortable majority while indicating that the ‘Ladli Behna’ scheme has proved to be a game-changer in the just-concluded assembly elections in the state.
In an informal get-together with the media persons here late on Monday evening, Chouhan said, “I would not like to give the number (of seats, BJP will get), but I am confident that BJP will form the government with a comfortable majority”.
Chouhan claimed that the ‘Ladli Behna’ scheme, providing an incentive of Rs 1,250 per month to the poor women in the state, has proved to be a game-changer in the polls.
“I have witnessed love and affection showered on me by women voters at many places during the campaign. The ‘Ladli Behna’ scheme has been launched not to get votes of women, but to empower them to ensure that they are treated with dignity in their families”, he said.
Around 1.36 crore women in the state have been covered under the scheme.
Chouhan said that BJP was written off in the 2008 and 2013 assembly elections, but had formed the government with the full majority on both occasions.
“This time too, we will form the government with a comfortable majority. I could sense the public mood during the campaign”, he said.
He said that it was the toughest campaign in his political career and the hardest poll battle he had ever fought.
The chief minister however admitted the pledge by Congress to restore the old pension scheme appeared to have some impact in the polls.
There was an increase in women voter turnout in the 2023 assembly polls in the state by two percent over the last polls.
While the 2023 polls witnessed women voter turnout of 76.03 percent, it was 74.03 percent in the last polls.
The turnout of male voters has also witnessed a jump by 3.18 percent in 2023 elections over the last polls.
While the turnout of male voters in 2023 polls has been recorded at 78.21 percent, it was 74.03 percent in the 2018 assembly elections.
