Shivraj Singh Chouhan speaks to Thackeray: MP team reaches Aurangabad on plane

New Delhi: Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who became CM thanks to defections from Congress, is going all out to ensure cooperation of BJP old-timers for the 24 assembly bypolls necessitated by the defectors who are likely to be fielded by BJP.
Chouhan’s measures follow recent defections of BJP leaders Premchand Guddu and Balendu Shukla to Congress. Chouhan and Cabinet colleague Narottam Mishra are trying to placate party leaders who are unhappy at the prospects of Congress defectors getting BJP tickets for the bypolls.

Party leaders have been holding several closed door meetings and Chouhan visited Mishra at his residence on Friday.

Chouhan on an official trip to Indore also held meetings with party leaders and workers from Sanver, the constituency of minister Tulsi Silawat, who defected from Congress.

Silawat was present at the meeting where BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya, given the task of sorting out differences between party leaders, also attended.

A day later, Narottam Mishra met former ministers Anoop Mishra, Jaibhan Singh Pawaiya, Narayan Singh Kushwah and Maya Singh at their respective residences in Gwalior separately.

Pawaiya is a former minister who lost to Pradhuman Singh Tomar of Congress.