Shivraj Singh Chouhan should be blamed if we lose in Madhya Pradesh: BJP MP Raghunandan Sharma

With only hours left for the counting of votes for the Madhya Pradesh assembly elections, the state chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan came under attack from his own party on Sunday after most of the exit polls predicted that Congress has an edge over Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Raghunandan Sharma, former Rajya Sabha member and senior BJP leader, said that if the BJP loses in the elections, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan should be the one to be blamed for his comment on the reservation.

Earlier at an event organised in Bhopal on 2016 by an outfit for Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) government employees, CM Chouhan had said "Koi mai ka lal aarakshan nahi khatam kar sakta", which means that nobody can end reservation.

Since the exit polls have shown mixed results in the state, Sharma said that Chouhan should be held responsible if BJP loses. He also said that the sentiments of the upper-castes were hurt by the CM's remarks.

"Wherever I travelled, I got feedback from upper castes that they were angry with him for his 'mai ka lal' remark. It reeked of arrogance and pride,'' Sharma was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.

Sharma alleged that Chouhan also said that the policy of reservation in promotion will not be stopped in the state and he will ensure that those who benefited from it are not demoted.

On Sunday, Rakesh Singh, BJP state chief along with CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who has been ruling Madhya Pradesh for past thirteen years, said that the BJP will form the government in the state. They claimed that Congress will try to create obstacles during the time of counting of votes as they are distressed.

The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) has directed that Wi-Fi will not be used in the vote counting hall and that there will be no webcasting during the counting of votes. Surveillance cameras will be installed in the counting rooms and premises.