Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister and sitting MP from Bhopal Kailash Joshi on Sunday announced that he would not contest the lok Sabha election this time.
“I will not contest the coming lok Sabha election from Bhopal. This is my own decision, at which I arrived after consulting my Minister son Deepak and close friends,” the veteran Bharatiya Janata Party leader told reporters at his residence.
“I am totally content with whatever I have achieved in the last six decades,” Joshi said. “I have not taken the decision under any pressure or because of age,” he added. “I have informed Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and State BJP president Narendra Singh Tomar about it.”
Joshi (84) served as the Chief Minister from June 1977 to January 1978. He was a member of the 14th lok Sabha too. When asked about the rumours that he was asked to vacate the seat for senior BJP leaders like lK Advani or Sushma Swaraj, Joshi said it was for the party’s election committee to decide the candidate.
As he too is a member of the BJP’s State election committee, he would put his opinion before the committee, Joshi said. He said, “I accomplished the mission of serving the people of the State by staying away from controversies.
I am pleased that no one became barrier in my mission and for that I remain grateful to the party seniors, office bearers, workers and my accomplices and pray for their bright future.”
The veteran leader said that whoever is named by the party from the seat vacated by him he would extend his full support and cooperation. “I have contested Assembly elections eight times and parliamentary election two times and every time emerged victorious,” he added.