BJP is pulling out all stops to ensure the defeat of the Congress in the state.
New Delhi
With single-minded focus on ensuring a repeat of the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh which will go to polls in November this year, Union Home Minister and senior party leader Amit Shah has taken charge of Madhya Pradesh. All the directions are being given by Shah only.
In a bid to woo voters, the party’s government in MP may announce reduction in gas cylinder prices and in power tariff as well. Undeniably, Congress’ growing popularity graph is worrying the BJP. A united Congress, under the leadership of former Chief Minister Kamal Nath, has so far been successful in cornering the government over various issues. The BJP on the contrary is faction-ridden.
The BJP leadership is concerned more about the Assembly segments which are considered to be Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia’s strongholds. Needless to say, Scindia’s prestige will also be at stake in the upcoming Assembly elections. If the BJP loses, the Opposition will get an opportunity to criticise BJP for its alleged politics of horse-trading to dislodge the elected governments in states. Congress’ victory in Karnataka was seen also as voters rejecting the politics of horse-trading. Scindia’s political career will be under serious question if BJP is defeated in MP. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and the entire Congress are already targeting Scindia. Jyotiraditya Scindia is in fact facing problems from within the BJP as well. The BJP leaders who are denied tickets will spare no effort to see that Scindia’s supporters lose in the elections. Several leaders of the BJP believe that the Scindia impact will hardly work this time round as the situation is quite different now.
However, the party has given electoral responsibilities to several heavyweights in the Gwalior region. Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar who hails from this region has also been given the key poll charge for the Gwalior belt. Union Minister Bhupender Yadav, who is known for outstanding poll management skills, is also active there. Yadav, who is close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, has already proved his mettle in Bihar and Gujarat.
Meanwhile, Shah is also holding meetings with leaders in MP frequently. He is keeping a close eye on poll preparations in Madhya Pradesh. BJP has also deployed several teams in various Assembly pockets. These teams are establishing direct connections with the voters. Some senior leaders of the state are being side-lined.
Efforts are being made to ensure unity in the party during rallies and meetings. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has been allowed to announce as many populist schemes as he can. The party has also started discussing the pros and cons of the Old Pension Scheme. The government may announce OPS if a positive view emerges, sources said.
The party managers believe that BJP may be in trouble in 2024 parliamentary polls if it loses even a single state now as the political scenario has changed since the launch of Opposition’s alliance I.N.D.I.A. Of course, the BJP has no chance in Telangana. The saffron party could not strengthen its position in Chhattisgarh despite cases like liquor scam adding to challenges for CM Bhupesh Baghel. So, MP and Rajasthan are the only states where BJP is seeing some hope. Both states are quite important ahead of parliamentary elections. This is the reason why PM Modi and Amit Shah are visiting these states quite often. However, Congress is on a strong wicket in these two states. All eyes will, therefore, be on PM Modi and Amit Shah’s strategy for Rajasthan and MP.