Bhopal, Sec 12 (IANS): Outgoing Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday expressed his gratitude to the people of Madhya Pradesh for their support in the last two decades. Delivering a farewell speech at the party headquarters in Bhopal, four-time CM Chouhan expressed satisfaction that he was bidding farewell at a time when the BJP had retained power with absolute majority.

"While bidding farewell, I am satisfied that the BJP is going to form the government with an overwhelming majority. I am leaving after forming a majority government," Chouhan added.

This was Chouhan’s first statement after tendering his resignation from the post on Monday.

After addressing a Press conference at the party headquarters, Chouhan also met the large gathering of people at his residence.

Chouhan, who was made the Chief Minister for the first time in 2005 after replacing Babulal Gaur, had retained power until 2018 when the BJP lost the election against the Congress. However, the tenure of the Kamal Nath-led Congress Government ended within 15 months due to a political crisis within its top leadership in March 2020.

The then Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia shifted to the BJP with his loyalists and the saffron party came back to power again.

Even though, the BJP had lost the election under the leadership Chouhan, he took oath as the Chief Minister for the fourth term and became the longest-serving CM of the state.

The BJP contested the Assembly election 2023 under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and registered a landslide victory by securing 163 seats.

The Opposition Congress, which was looking to come back to power, was reduced to 66 seats against its 114 in 2018.

On Monday, the BJP's legislative party meeting unanimously declared Mohan Yadav as Chief Minister-designated. Beside him, two senior BJP leaders Rajendra Shukla and Jagdish Devda were made Deputy Chief Ministers.