'I will not go to Centre, will live and die in Madhya Pradesh: Shivraj Singh Chouhan

Bhopal, Dec 13: Following the defeat of the BJP in Madhya Pradesh, where it had ruled for 15 years, former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday said that he would not aspire for a post in the central government.

"I will not go to the centre. I shall like in Madhya Pradesh and die in Madhya Pradesh," he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

A day earlier, Shivraj had taken sole responsibility for BJP's narrow loss to Congress in the state assembly elections. "I had great support from the party's leadership and from party workers. I take sole responsibility for the defeat. If I upset some people, I apologize for it," he had said.

On Wednesday, Twitter and political pundits were all praise for Shivraj Singh Chouhan. From labelling him a 'BJP stalwart in Vajpayee mould' to the 'people's chief minister', people commented on the fact how Chouhan set the bar too high for even for his own party colleagues.

The BJP lost the state to Congress which fell short of the majority by just two seats and clinched 114 in the 230-seat Assembly.

Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the three-time BJP Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, accepted responsibility for the party's defeat in the state, absolving the party's government at the Centre.

The BJP ended with 109 seats to Congress's 114 - way below the majority mark of 116 in the 230-member assembly. Chouhan, who stepped down today, had said he respected the people's mandate and his party would not attempt to form the next government in the state.