Express News Service
BHOPAL: Bucking the anti-incumbency of over 18 years largely with the power of the Mukhyamantri Ladli Behna Yojana, the ruling BJP retained power in Madhya Pradesh, defeating the Congress by over 90 seats on Sunday. The BJP which went into the polls without a CM-face, despite its longest serving chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan heading the government, had either won or was leading in 163 out of the total 230 seats against the Kamal Nath-led Congress, which could either win or was leading on just 66 seats, till filing of this report. The simple majority figure in the 230-strong Vidhan Sabha is 116.
While Chouhan credited the success to PM Modi’s leadership, Kamal Nath took responsibility for the party’s dismal showing. Another senior Congress leader and MP Vivek Tankha said, “I was surprised how a strong public mood for change didn’t turn into decisive vote for the Congress in the polls.” The BSP, which had won two seats in the 2018 polls with 5.01% votes, drew a blank in terms of seats with just 3.40% votes, while new entrant Bhartiya Adivasi Party won one seat in Ratlam district.
The resounding victory was BJP’s third best performance since 2003 (when the Uma Bharti-led party had returned to power after 10 years with 173 seats against Congress’s 38 seats) and the 2013 polls when the BJP led by Chouhan had retained power with 165 seats against Congress’s 58 seats.
Prominent BJP leaders who won the polls, included Chouhan (he won from his home seat Budhni for the sixth time), BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya from Indore-1 seat, Union ministers Prahlad Singh Patel, Narendra Singh Tomar and MPs, Rao Udai Pratap Singh, Riti Pathak and Rakesh Singh. Eight-time MLA from Rehli seat and senior-most minister in the state Gopal Bhargava won for the ninth time.
However, two of the eight BJP heavyweights, including Union minister Faggan Singh Kulaste and fourth-time MP Ganesh Singh, lost from Niwas-ST and Satna seats, respectively. At least 12 ministers either lost the polls or were trailing till filing of the report. They included home minister Narottam Mishra and others, among them industry minister Rajyavardhan Singh Dattigaon, animal husbandry minister Prem Patel, backward welfare minister Gaurishankar Bisen, rural development minister Mahendra Singh Sisodia, agriculture minister Kamal Patel, cooperatives minister Arvind Singh Bhadoria lost the polls. Junior ministers who lost the polls included Bharat Singh Kushwah, Suresh Rathkheda, Ramkishor Kanware, Rahul Singh Lodhi (Uma Bharti’s nephew) and Ramkhelawan Patel. In the 2018, 13 ministers of the Chouhan government had lost the polls.
Kamal Nath won by over 36,000 votes from his pocketborough Chhindwara. Several ministers of the erstwhile Kamal Nath-led government who either lost the polls or were trailing, included Harsh Yadav, Jitu Patwari, Sajjan Singh Verma, Dr Vijaylaxmi Sadho and Priyavrat Singh.
Factors behind BJP’s win
Ladli Behna scheme and a fear of Congress stopping the scheme. CM Chouhan’s Mama-Bhaiya image among women votersInherent Hindutva undercurrent and announcement on Ram temple opening in Ayodhya
Extension of free ration under Garib Kalyan Yojna by 5 years
Focused tribal-centric initiatives ranging from implementation of the PESA (Panchayats Extension to Scheduled Areas Act) to establishing university named after tribal icons and launching the Sickle Cell Anaemia Mission
Amit Shah’s strategies and united campaigning by senior leaders led to Cong loss
Overemphasis by Cong on the caste census, OBC agenda that upset tribals, Dalits & upper castes
Despite anti-incumbency, Congress lagged in fighting on people’s issues on streets and was run like a corporate group
Fickle ticket distribution as party changed many of its nominations congress was far behind BJP in campaigning. BJP held 650 rallies, the Congress could hold just 350
Organisational setup of cong virtually absent
Differences between Digvijaya Singh and Kamal Nath
Overemphasis on soft-Hindutva by congress
At a Glance
2.8 cr – Male electors
2.7 cr – Female electors
5.6 cr – Total electors
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BHOPAL: Bucking the anti-incumbency of over 18 years largely with the power of the Mukhyamantri Ladli Behna Yojana, the ruling BJP retained power in Madhya Pradesh, defeating the Congress by over 90 seats on Sunday. The BJP which went into the polls without a CM-face, despite its longest serving chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan heading the government, had either won or was leading in 163 out of the total 230 seats against the Kamal Nath-led Congress, which could either win or was leading on just 66 seats, till filing of this report. The simple majority figure in the 230-strong Vidhan Sabha is 116.
While Chouhan credited the success to PM Modi’s leadership, Kamal Nath took responsibility for the party’s dismal showing. Another senior Congress leader and MP Vivek Tankha said, “I was surprised how a strong public mood for change didn’t turn into decisive vote for the Congress in the polls.” The BSP, which had won two seats in the 2018 polls with 5.01% votes, drew a blank in terms of seats with just 3.40% votes, while new entrant Bhartiya Adivasi Party won one seat in Ratlam district.
The resounding victory was BJP’s third best performance since 2003 (when the Uma Bharti-led party had returned to power after 10 years with 173 seats against Congress’s 38 seats) and the 2013 polls when the BJP led by Chouhan had retained power with 165 seats against Congress’s 58 seats.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });
Prominent BJP leaders who won the polls, included Chouhan (he won from his home seat Budhni for the sixth time), BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya from Indore-1 seat, Union ministers Prahlad Singh Patel, Narendra Singh Tomar and MPs, Rao Udai Pratap Singh, Riti Pathak and Rakesh Singh. Eight-time MLA from Rehli seat and senior-most minister in the state Gopal Bhargava won for the ninth time.
However, two of the eight BJP heavyweights, including Union minister Faggan Singh Kulaste and fourth-time MP Ganesh Singh, lost from Niwas-ST and Satna seats, respectively. At least 12 ministers either lost the polls or were trailing till filing of the report. They included home minister Narottam Mishra and others, among them industry minister Rajyavardhan Singh Dattigaon, animal husbandry minister Prem Patel, backward welfare minister Gaurishankar Bisen, rural development minister Mahendra Singh Sisodia, agriculture minister Kamal Patel, cooperatives minister Arvind Singh Bhadoria lost the polls. Junior ministers who lost the polls included Bharat Singh Kushwah, Suresh Rathkheda, Ramkishor Kanware, Rahul Singh Lodhi (Uma Bharti’s nephew) and Ramkhelawan Patel. In the 2018, 13 ministers of the Chouhan government had lost the polls.
Kamal Nath won by over 36,000 votes from his pocketborough Chhindwara. Several ministers of the erstwhile Kamal Nath-led government who either lost the polls or were trailing, included Harsh Yadav, Jitu Patwari, Sajjan Singh Verma, Dr Vijaylaxmi Sadho and Priyavrat Singh.
Factors behind BJP’s win
Ladli Behna scheme and a fear of Congress stopping the scheme. CM Chouhan’s Mama-Bhaiya image among women voters
Inherent Hindutva undercurrent and announcement on Ram temple opening in Ayodhya
Extension of free ration under Garib Kalyan Yojna by 5 years
Focused tribal-centric initiatives ranging from implementation of the PESA (Panchayats Extension to Scheduled Areas Act) to establishing university named after tribal icons and launching the Sickle Cell Anaemia Mission
Amit Shah’s strategies and united campaigning by senior leaders led to Cong loss
Overemphasis by Cong on the caste census, OBC agenda that upset tribals, Dalits & upper castes
Despite anti-incumbency, Congress lagged in fighting on people’s issues on streets and was run like a corporate group
Fickle ticket distribution as party changed many of its nominations congress was far behind BJP in campaigning. BJP held 650 rallies, the Congress could hold just 350
Organisational setup of cong virtually absent
Differences between Digvijaya Singh and Kamal Nath
Overemphasis on soft-Hindutva by congress
At a Glance
2.8 cr – Male electors
2.7 cr – Female electors
5.6 cr – Total electors
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