CM files nomination in Budhni, says 'here, everyone is Shivraj'

BHOPAL: Chief minister Shivraj Singh on Monday filed his nomination papers as BJP candidate from Budhni, a seat he has won five times since 1990. "We will serve the people, and do so in such a way that the whole world will remember that 'someone had come'," Chouhan said.
Undefeated in Budhni, Chouhan had won nearly 70% of the votes in 2018 and defeated Congress stalwart Arun Yadav by over 84,800 votes.
On Monday, the CM led a roadshow and asked the people of his constituency to "think of themselves as Shivraj". Flanked by his wife Sadhna Singh and son Kartikeya, the CM visited his native village Jait, where he walked to the banks of the Narmada and offered puja there. He also offered prayers at the local Hanuman temple and then worshipped his family's Kul-Devta before heading for Salkanpur to pray at the temple of Goddess Bijasan.
In next 5 yrs, I will make every sister a 'lakhpati': Chouhan
Speaking to reporters at Salkanpur, 80km from Bhopal, the chief minister said, "After offering prayers, I am going to file my nomination papers. There are three reasons for which the BJP government must be formed. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the development of this country has been amazing and unprecedented. The rate at which India is advancing under PM Modi's leadership, the nation is showing the direction to the world. It is also my belief that not only has the country's honour and esteem increased, but our country has benefitted in terms of development and people's welfare."
Addressing a public meeting, the CM said, "This is the soil of my birthplace, workplace, motherland and holy land with the blessing of which I have been able to serve the people of this state. I have come to bow down to this land."
"I am going to file my nomination papers after taking the good wishes of my villagers and the blessings of the elderly. The people of Budhni are my family, everyone here is Shivraj. The people here have always given me love and affection. It is with your blessings that I have reached till here from where I can serve the state. The people of this constituency will contest the elections, I will only come to cast my vote. We have to work a lot more and that is the reason why a BJP government is necessary," he said.
He asked Budhni voters to ensure his victory for the development and welfare works he had done throughout his political life. "The aim of my life is to make the lives of people better. I want to tell the women of this state that in the next five years, I will make every sister a Lakhpati," Chouhan said. Chouhan first contested from Budhni in 1990 and won by a margin of 22,810 votes against Congress' Hari Singh. Chouhan was then 21 years old. He soon moved to Lok Sabha after BJP patriarch Atal Bihari Vajpayee vacated the Vidisha Lok Sabha seat following the 1991 Parliamentary elections.
Chouhan represented Vidisha Lok Sabha constituency five times and returned to state politics in November 2005 when he was sent as chief minister by the BJP central leadership. In a bypoll in 2006, Chouhan was elected from Budhni by 36,525 votes. He repeated his victory in Budhni in 2008, 2013 and 2018. In the 2008 assembly election, Chouhan as chief minister contested from both Budhni and Vidisha assembly seats. He won both and then retained Budhni.
This time, the Congress has fielded actor Vikram Mastal against the chief minister in Budhni, making people call it a walkover. Mastal, who played the role of Lord Hanuman in the 2008 Ramayana TV series, also hails from the constituency and completed his school and college education here before moving to Mumbai to become an actor. The Samajwadi Party has fielded Mirchi Baba, who performed a 'victory yajna' for Congress leader Digvijaya Singh during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. tnn