Shivraj Singh Chouhan takes oath as Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh for the fourth time

Veteran leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Shivraj Singh Chouhan took his oath as the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh at 9 PM on Monday, days after the resignation of a number of MLAs from the Kamal Nath-led Congress government led to its downfall.

Although it was being hinted from a while ago, Chouhan got his express approval for the post of the Chief Minister after the saffron camp met and elected him earlier in the day as the leader of the legislative party.

With this, Shivraj Singh Chouhan assumed the post of the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh for the fourth time. The veteran politico has already made it clear that his top priority would be to helm the state machinery in tackling the coronavirus crisis, as it is the single-most crucial threat that the citizens are facing at this moment.

Ahead of the ceremony, Chouhan appealed to the party workers not to celebrate the oath-taking ceremony in the wake of coronavirus. Speaking to news agency ANI, Chouhan said that his aim right now is to stop the spread of coronavirus.

"As a BJP worker, I will work honestly for the development of Madhya Pradesh. But right now, the aim is to stop the spread of COVID-19," he said, adding, "I have appealed to the party workers to not celebrate the oath-taking ceremony and not come out on the streets. They should stay at home and pray for the newly formed government."

Earlier too, several top BJP leaders had said that the party needs to choose a leader and stake claim quickly as the state urgently requires a functional government in view of the novel coronavirus outbreak.

Earlier on Saturday, the 22 rebel Congress MLAs in Madhya Pradesh, including all six former cabinet ministers, joined the BJP in the presence of party chief JP Nadda and turncoat leader Jyotiraditya Scindia at Nadda's residence. These are the legislators whose resignations led to the fall of the Kamal Nath-led Congress government in the state.

After Kamal Nath resigned as Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, senior BJP leader Shivraj Singh Chouhan on March 20 claimed that his party was not in the game to form or topple the state government and asked the Congress to do self-introspection to analyse what gave rise to such a situation.

After tendering his resignation, Kamal Nath stated that the recent turn of events in the state adds a new chapter in the weakening of democratic principles. He made the announcement at a press conference in Bhopal hours ahead of the scheduled floor test on Friday. 22 Congress MLAs tendered their resignation after Jyotiraditya Scindia, a prominent face of the Congress, resigned and joined the BJP.

Earlier in March, Scindia resigned from the Congress and joined the BJP. In his resignation letter to Congress` interim President Sonia Gandhi, Scindia wrote, "While my aim and purpose remain the same as it has always been from the very beginning, to serve the people of my state and country, I believe I am unable to do this anymore within this party." He had even accused his former party of living in denial.