Despite three successive terms in power in the state of Madhya Pradesh, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) put up a stiff fight in the recent assembly elections here - narrowly losing to Congress. Former CM of the state Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday pointed to extremely close contest to outline why the eventual result cannot be termed as a defeat for his party.

Anti-incumbency factor was expected to play a big role in how MP voted but BJP still managed to get 109 seats to 114 won by Congress. "BJP is not defeated. The party only lagged behind by a few seats despite getting more votes," said Chouhan while promising to continue working for the development of the state and the welfare of the people.

Chouhan made way for seasoned Congress politician Kamal Nath to take over as CM, while assuring a constructive role in the opposition. "They (ruling party) have our support for development. But if the public faces any inconvenience, then we will fight for people," he said.

After the result, it was being speculated that the BJP may have Chouhan playing a larger role in national politics. Last week, however, Chouhan clarified that he has no plans of leaving the state. "I was born in MP and will die here. I will continue to strive for the benefit of the people in MP."