MP CM Chouhan calls last cabinet meeting 3 days before counting

Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has called the last cabinet meeting of his fourth term in office on Thursday.

The cabinet meeting will be held three days ahead of the results of the assembly elections scheduled to be announced on December 3.

In an official notification, Chouhan's office has asked all the ministers and senior officials to be present at the meeting.

Sources said the last cabinet meeting has been called on the occasion of the last working day of Chief Secretary Iqbal Singh Bains, whose tenure (2nd extension) will end on November 30.

A 1985 batch Indian Administrative Service officer of MP cadre, Bains was originally due for retirement in November 2022. However, he was given two extensions, each one for six months.

Both extensions were granted by the Central government at the request of the state government. He has been a trusted official of Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

Meanwhile, the opposition Congress has raised questions regarding the sudden meeting three days ahead of the assembly election results.

Former minister and Congress leader P. C. Sharma alleged that this was an attempt by the ruling BJP to influence vote counting.

“The purpose of calling a meeting without an agenda is that the situation is bad. How to put pressure on officers and employees? The BJP can use pressure to influence the counting of votes,” the Congress leader said.