IF THE SIGNALS from Delhi were not very warm, incumbent Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan – who has much to be proud of in the BJP's spectacular performance in the state – didn't let the chill get to him. Instead, Chouhan courted the heat, out campaigning each day from about 8 am and returning to his residence in Bhopal only by 1-2 am. Four hours of sleep later, he was up taking the feedback on various Assembly seats over the phone between 6 and 8 am. Chouhan’s team says that since the start of this year, that is January 1, till the end of the election campaign on November 15, Chouhan addressed close to 1,000 programmes. Roughly three events a day. Before the elections were declared, he addressed 53 women-only rallies across 53 districts. After the model code of conduct came into effect on October 9, Chouhan addressed 165 rallies throughout the state in roughly 37 days. On an average, he addressed 8-10 rallies per day, with the number even going up to 12-13 on some days. If the 64-year-old's energy put colleagues to the test, Congress face Kamal Nath paled in comparison. Kamal Nath looked like he had set the pace with his high-visibility campaign, but towards the end, the duo of Kamal Nath and Digvijaya Singh appeared to have lost steam. While Chouhan was everywhere meeting people, Kamal Nath was more visible heli-hopping for brief visits and giving interviews. The central BJP's conscious decision of not announcing a CM face despite Chouhan's obvious popularity, particularly of his welfare schemes, might also have ultimately worked out in the end. Even supporters of the Congress around Jabalpur told The Indian Express that women in households were veering towards the BJP CM. So, while this helped the BJP retain the woman vote, fatigue with him among a section of the voters got cancelled in the belief that the party would replace him. The question that remains, of course, is how the party interprets this win. Too big to replace Chouhan? Or too big to let it stop the party from taking any decision it wants?
