Taking a cue from the BJP defeat in Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has transformed himself from ‘very active’ mode to ‘ultra active’ mode in a matter of 24 hours. He has suddenly started taking welfare initiatives to ward off anti-incumbency.

In this direction, Shivraj Singh Chouhan started the day with planting of saplings with a group of students from Karnataka, virtually blessed 300 couples at mass-marriage ceremonies, initiated the CM’s farmers’ interest waiver scheme, declared the setting up of a welfare board for the Kushwaha samaj and announced the construction of a Luv-Kush temple in MP, among other things.

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The Congress drubbed the BJP in the southern state in the assembly polls the result of which was announced 13 May, taking 135 seats, which are 55 more than 2018. The BJP could manage only 66 seats, losing 38 of its previous seats in the 224-seat state assembly.

Madhya Pradesh is in line for assembly elections due at the end of this year and the result in Karnataka seems to have sounded alarm bells in MP for the BJP.

Today morning, Chief Minister Chouhan began his day, like he does daily, by planting saplings. Though, he planted trees of Rudraksh, Jamun and Peepal today, specially with a group of students from Karnataka, who are on a tour of MP.

The chief minister also paid his respects to freedom fighter martyr Sukhdev. Mr Chouhan garlanded late Sukhdev’s portrait on the martyr’s birth anniversary today.

A few hours later, Chouhan virtually attended two mass-marriage ceremonies held under the ‘Mukhaymantri Kanya Vivah-Nikah Yojana’. He blessed around 300 newly-wed couples at the functions, which were held in the Sidhi and Khandwa districts of MP.

The chief minister said the society’s attitude towards daughters has changed for the better through the scheme, in which the state government pays Rs 49000 to each couple.

Chouhan also met representatives of the Kirar community at his residence. He was informed that a Kirar yuvak-yuvati parichay sammelan (introduction event for marriages) would be held at Bhopal on 4 June. Shivraj Singh Chouhan also belongs to the Kirar community.

Yesterday, the chief minister launched the ‘Farmers’ Interest Waiver Scheme’ that promises waiver of interest on loans of defaulter farmers. Chouhan announced at the function held at Sagar that the state government would pay the outstanding interest amount of such farmers.

The chief minister personally filled up the application forms of interest waiver for some of the farmers present at the function. He promptly handed over their interest waiver certificates too on the spot.

“Our government will pay the interest amount of each defaulter farmer, so that they do not remain defaulters and they can get the benefit of crop loan scheme for the next crop at zero percent interest,” Chouhan stated.

He said that the short-term crop loans of farmers whose crops were damaged were converted into medium-term crop loans and the state government is also getting the interest amount of such farmers waived. This amount would be approximately Rs 2123 crore.

The chief minister claimed that the state BJP government had transferred Rs 2 lakh 31 thousand 322 crore into the accounts of farmers in the last three years under various schemes.

At another function in Sagar the same day, Chouhan announced the formation of a ‘Kushwaha Samaj Welfare Board’ in MP. Speaking at a function of the Kushwaha community, the chief minister said that the chairperson of the board would be accorded the status of a cabinet minister.

Chouhan also announced at the function that a Luv-Kush temple would be constructed at Sagar. He said the state government would provide Rs 10 crore for the temple.

He also performed the bhoomi-poojan (ground breaking ceremony) of 3 tap-water schemes worth Rs 865.91 crore for the Sagar district. He said the schemes would enable direct water supply through pipelines to each household in 520 villages of the district.