CHIEF MINISTER Shivraj Singh Chouhan today filed his nomination papers as the BJP nominee for the assembly by-election from Budhni in Sehore district, where polling is scheduled on April 24.
Chouhan, who took over as chief minister on November 28 last year, reached the Sehore Collectorate in a procession and filed the papers.
Former chief ministers Kailash Joshi, Sunderlal Patwa and Babulal Gaur, State BJP president Satyanarayan Jatia and several State ministers and party functionaries were present. He filed two sets of nomination papers to the returning officer at 1.58 pm.
The auspicious time chosen for filing the nomination papers was from 12 noon to 2.20 pm, said BJP sources. One of the nomination papers was proposed by senior leader Chouhan Singh Chouhan and the second was proposed by former MLA Rajendra Singh who had resigned from Budhni Assembly seat to facilitate Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s election.
The Chief Minister also addressed a public meeting at Sehore after filing the nomination. “I am chief minister but not an MLA. Until I become an MLA I would not be a ‘pucca’ CM. It is you who have to make me a ‘pucca’ CM”, he said. Chouhan said he had requests from several places to fight by-election to enter the State Assembly but before he could take a decision, Budhni MLA Rajendra Singh tendered his resignation and thus he decided to contest election from here only.
He said he was really in a dilemma from where to fight the election, as he had requests from places like Vidisha, Basoda, Jabalpur, Pawai and Gulana. His colleague Rampal Singh also offered to vacate his seat. Singh said he had not forgotten love and affection people in Budhni had showered on him when he had contested Assembly election from there in 1990.
He said he was really in a dilemma from where to fight the election, as he had requests from places like Vidisha, Basoda, Jabalpur, Pawai and Gulana. His colleague Rampal Singh also offered to vacate his seat. Singh said he had not forgotten love and affection people in Budhni had showered on him when he had contested Assembly election from there in 1990.