Madhya Pradesh election results: Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday held Congress leader Kamal Nath responsible for the party's defeat in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections. He said that the outcome of the Madhya Pradesh assembly elections would have been different had the Congress shared some seats with constituents of the INDIA bloc.
He also suggested that the grand old party should reconsider its approach toward allies. He recalled that Kamal Nath had opposed the idea of sharing seats with the Samajwadi Party during elections.
Sanjay Raut on Congress defeat
"Kamal Nath is responsible for the defeat in Madhya Pradesh, even though individuals like Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi were actively campaigning. If the Congress had fought the elections with the INDI alliance the result would have been different. Had some seats been shared with the alliance parties, such as Akhilesh's party, (Samajwadi Party), the Congress would have fared far better. His party has good support in some areas, including some 10-12 seats known as the strongholds of the party. It was Kamal Nath who opposed sharing of seats with him," he said.
Raut mentioned that the election results carry a valuable lesson, emphasising that the INDI alliance should collectively participate in upcoming elections. He demanded that the Congress rethink its strategy and outlook towards the allies.
Raut rejected the charge that Rahul Gandhi's “panauti” remark might have hurt the outcome of the elections in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. “If that was the case, why did the remark did not backfire in Telangana? After Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh has had strong Hindutva activists for a long time. It has a good connection with Nagpur,” he said.
Raut has credited the BJP's victory in Madhya Pradesh to Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan. He said that Chauhan's public image also played a vital role in the poll outcome. "The MP CM came up with schemes that directly benefit the women before the elections, these things are useful for them," he said.
Raut on INDIA bloc meeting
Raut said that a meeting of the INDIA bloc has been called on December 6 and at the meeting, many things will be discussed. "India Alliance is strong. The way Team India won 10 consecutive matches during the World Cup but lost the final match, similar will be the fate of the BJP in the 2024 elections," he added.
Talking about Telangana, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh results, the Shiv Sena leader said, "AIMIM factor and KCR did not work in Telangana, as far as Rajasthan is concerned this is the traditional trend (government changes every five years). Chhattisgarh's defeat, Congress should introspect."
