Chouhan`s huge popularity will beat anti-incumbency in MP: BJP

Bhopal: The BJP on Friday expressed confidence that an anti-incumbent mood against several ministers and MLAs in Madhya Pradesh will not have any adverse impact on its poll prospects in Monday`s Assembly polls due to Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan`s huge popularity.

"We knew that there was an anti-incumbency against number of Ministers and MLAs in the state but we have managed it by denying tickets to nearly 43 sitting legislators and also with the huge popularity of Chouhan," BJP General Secretary in-charge of the state Anant Kumar said. The BJP will come back to power for the third time in the state mainly because of Chouhan`s image, good governance and developmental works carried out by his government, Kumar said. Referring to reports of anti-incumbency prevailing against the BJP government in the state, he said that it is there at the micro level but not at the macro level. High voter turnout in the polls would ultimately go in favour of the BJP, he felt. But when told that normally it was considered that higher polling means anti-incumbency against the government, the BJP leader, who is an MP from Bangalore South Lok Sabha seat, said it is not the case with the BJP. To prove his point he cited his own example and said that he is winning polls from the same constituency with a higher margin of votes every time despite people telling him that anti-incumbency was prevailing against him. In Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, similar thing would happen, he said adding BJP would get more seats than 2008 this time. In 2008, BJP had won 143 seats out of the total 230 in Madhya Pradesh.