Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has finally responded to the reports that he is being sidelined in the state by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the Assembly election. The party has not yet announced Shivraj Singh Chouhan's name as a candidate in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly election, triggering speculation that the incumbent chief minister was being deserted. Meanwhile, some big names such as Kailash Vijayvargiya have been fielded in the Assembly election.

Responding to the reports, Shivraj Singh Chouhan said all senior leaders in the BJP will contest the Assembly election. “This has ensured BJP's big victory. All our senior leaders will contest...," he said.

Meanwhile, NDTV has stated citing BJP leaders that reports of Shivraj Singh Chouhan being denied a ticket were “wrong" but, it said, "any big leader can become chief minister post-election".