Chouhan completes one year in office

Bhopal, Nov 28 (UNI) Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had a smooth sailing as he completes one year in office today.

BJS president Uma Bharti challenged Mr Chouhan's election as leader of the BJP legislature party leading to her expulsion from the BJP she later floated a new outfit Bharatiya Jan Shakti (BJS) charging the BJP with drifting away from its declared policies.

After resigning as a member of the Lok Sabha, of which he was elected for five terms, Mr Chouhan won the Assembly by-election from Budhni and also ensured his party's victory in the recent byelections in Vidisha Lok Sabha and Malehra Assembly constituencies. Ms Bharti fielded her party's candidates at both the places.

While charting out his own place in the state's politics and administration, Mr Chouhan replaced the Chief Secretary and Director General of Police and got his confidante cabinet colleague Narendra Singh Tomar appointed as state BJP President in the place of Mr Satya Narayan Jatia.

Pushing up the development schemes started during the tenure of Ms Bharti and her successor Babulal Gaur, who were in office for a short tenure forcing the BJP to go in for a third Chief Minister in less than two years, Mr Chouhan rushed through his own pet social agenda, particularly aimed at conducting marriage of poor girls at government expense.

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