chattisgarh-elections

Updated: Dec 11, 2018 18:36 IST

Conceding defeat on Tuesday, Chhattisgarh’s three-time chief minister Raman Singh said he takes full responsibility for the BJP’s defeat in the assembly elections and will analyse the reasons behind the rout.

Speaking to the media after the results were declared, Singh said he has forwarded his resignation to the governor.

“I take the responsibility for this defeat because the poll was contested under my leadership. We will act as a strong opposition and work for the development of the state,” the outgoing chief minister said.

“We respect the mandate that the public has given. I congratulate Congress on this success. I consider it my luck to serve the public of Chhattisgarh for the last 15 years.

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Singh became a chief minister on December 7, 15 years ago, and no other BJP CM has served for so long. Narendra Modi had an uninterrupted 4,610 days as Gujarat chief minister before becoming Prime Minister in May 2014. Singh, who completed 5,000 days in August, is the only BJP CM after Modi to have won three assembly elections in a row.

Chhattisgarh, won for the last 15 years by the Bharatiya Janata Party, was swept by the Congress, which is leading in 65 of the state’s 90 seats, a gain of 25 seats from last time. The BJP is ahead in only 17 seats. A party needs 46 seats to form a government in the state.

Congress’ Chattisgarh unit chief Bhupesh Baghel said it was a victory of democracy and that the people’s mandate was historic.

“The BJP had a lot of money and a team of corrupt officers. They also had conspirators in their pocket. Despite all of this, the mandate given by the people in Chhattisgarh is historic,” Baghel said.

“We humbly accept the mandate of the people. They have not given us the right, they have given us a responsibility. They believed the promises we made in our manifesto. People trusted the words of Rahul Gandhi ji and gave us an agenda, we accept it,” said PL Punia, a senior leader of the Congress.

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