Express News Service
BHOPAL: A year before the Assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, the ruling BJP and the Opposition Congress seem to be zeroing in on the 84 tribal-dominated seats to fancy their chances of winning the central Indian state with a clear majority.
While the BJP, which has already been focusing on the tribal card through a series of announcements since October 2021, the latest being the implementation of new rules of the Panchayats Extension to Scheduled Areas (PESA) Act, the Congress is banking heavily on Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, as it will travel through the south-west and western districts of the state, which are dominated by the Bhil, Bhilala and Korku tribes.
Tribal communities, including Bhil, Bhilala, Gond, Korku, Baiga, Saharia, Kol and Bharia constitute over 21% of voters in 230 Assembly segments of Madhya Pradesh. Out of these, 84 are tribal-dominated constituencies, with 47 seats being reserved for ST candidates.
In the 2013 polls, the BJP had won 60 out of these 84 seats, (and 165 out of the 230 seats), but the numbers slumped to 34 in 2018. The Congress, which had won 24 of the 84 seats in 2013 (and just 58 seats in total in the state), jumped to 47 of the same seats, while its rebels were victorious on three seats.
The BJP’s tribal-centric initiatives began with Union Home Minister Amit Shah unveiling the twin statues of tribal heroes, the father-son Gond king duo Raja Shankar Shah and Raja Raghunath Shah in September 2021. Two months later, Prime Minister Narendra Modi then marked freedom fighter Birsa Munda’s birth anniversary as Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas. He also unveiled the railway station in Bhopal, named after the city’s last tribal queen, Rani Kamlapati.
Since then the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government has implemented a host of tribal-centric initiatives, particularly named after tribal heroes, including Birsa Munda and Tantya Bheel. These initiatives not only include restoring places associated with tribal heroes, but also other measures like self-employment schemes. The recent implementation of PESA Act’s new rules in presence of President Droupadi Murmu, is being seen as a masterstroke by the BJP.
The Congress has been dubbing the BJP as anti-tribal by highlighting incidents of crime against tribals.“Our state president Kamal Nath is known to be the champion of the tribal cause, which has been proved right by the party’s polls success in Mahakoshal and Malwa-Nimar region in 2018. Now, the Bharat Jodo Yatra will go a long way in presenting that all factions of the state Congress are united, and also give a proper launch-pad for the party’s future campaign in tribal areas,” a Congress leader told this daily.
BJP’s multi-pronged strategy to woo tribalsThe BJP government in MP has implemented a host of tribal-centric initiatives, particularly named after tribal heroes. These include restoring places linked with tribal icons, and other steps like self-employment schemes. The recent implementation of PESA Act’s new rules in presence of President Droupadi Murmu, is being seen as a masterstroke.
BHOPAL: A year before the Assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, the ruling BJP and the Opposition Congress seem to be zeroing in on the 84 tribal-dominated seats to fancy their chances of winning the central Indian state with a clear majority.
While the BJP, which has already been focusing on the tribal card through a series of announcements since October 2021, the latest being the implementation of new rules of the Panchayats Extension to Scheduled Areas (PESA) Act, the Congress is banking heavily on Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, as it will travel through the south-west and western districts of the state, which are dominated by the Bhil, Bhilala and Korku tribes.
Tribal communities, including Bhil, Bhilala, Gond, Korku, Baiga, Saharia, Kol and Bharia constitute over 21% of voters in 230 Assembly segments of Madhya Pradesh. Out of these, 84 are tribal-dominated constituencies, with 47 seats being reserved for ST candidates.
In the 2013 polls, the BJP had won 60 out of these 84 seats, (and 165 out of the 230 seats), but the numbers slumped to 34 in 2018. The Congress, which had won 24 of the 84 seats in 2013 (and just 58 seats in total in the state), jumped to 47 of the same seats, while its rebels were victorious on three seats.
The BJP’s tribal-centric initiatives began with Union Home Minister Amit Shah unveiling the twin statues of tribal heroes, the father-son Gond king duo Raja Shankar Shah and Raja Raghunath Shah in September 2021. Two months later, Prime Minister Narendra Modi then marked freedom fighter Birsa Munda’s birth anniversary as Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas. He also unveiled the railway station in Bhopal, named after the city’s last tribal queen, Rani Kamlapati.
Since then the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government has implemented a host of tribal-centric initiatives, particularly named after tribal heroes, including Birsa Munda and Tantya Bheel. These initiatives not only include restoring places associated with tribal heroes, but also other measures like self-employment schemes. The recent implementation of PESA Act’s new rules in presence of President Droupadi Murmu, is being seen as a masterstroke by the BJP.
The Congress has been dubbing the BJP as anti-tribal by highlighting incidents of crime against tribals.
“Our state president Kamal Nath is known to be the champion of the tribal cause, which has been proved right by the party’s polls success in Mahakoshal and Malwa-Nimar region in 2018. Now, the Bharat Jodo Yatra will go a long way in presenting that all factions of the state Congress are united, and also give a proper launch-pad for the party’s future campaign in tribal areas,” a Congress leader told this daily.
BJP’s multi-pronged strategy to woo tribals
The BJP government in MP has implemented a host of tribal-centric initiatives, particularly named after tribal heroes. These include restoring places linked with tribal icons, and other steps like self-employment schemes. The recent implementation of PESA Act’s new rules in presence of President Droupadi Murmu, is being seen as a masterstroke.
