By Express News Service
NEW DELHI: With the poll panel announcing the election dates on Monday (see graphic), battle lines have been drawn for the high-stakes contest in five states, which is being seen as the semifinal bout before the 2024 general elections. Its results will be an indicator to the big battle ahead for the ruling BJP and the Opposition’s INDIA alliance.
While the Congress governments in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh are looking to retain power, the Congress is locked in a bitter fight with the BJP in Madhya Pradesh. Telangana has a three-way contest as the Congress and the BJP are pitted against the K Chandrashekar Rao-led Bharat Rashtra Samithi government. In Mizoram, NDA ally Mizo National Front is in power.
Despite its track record of replacing incumbents, Rajasthan hasn’t yet indicated which way it will swing. While the BJP is banking on anti-incumbency, the grand old party is pinning its hopes on the welfare schemes of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. While the BJP has sidelined its two-time CM Vasundhara Raje, it is crippled with several CM aspirants such as Union ministers Gajendra Shekhawat and Arjun Meghwal. In contrast, the Congress campaign is focused on Gehlot. However, all eyes are on how the feud between Gehlot and his former deputy Sachin Pilot will now play out, especially in East Rajasthan where Gujjar votes are crucial.
The two-phase polling in Chhattisgarh will see a direct fight between the ruling Congress and the BJP in the largely bipolar politics of the state. Though surveys have indicated CM Bhupesh Baghel will retain power, BJP is hopeful that the alleged scams and corruption cases against the government would work in its favour. The contest between the ruling BJP and the Congress in Madhya Pradesh may be the most keenly watched one among the five states.
The BJP is eyeing to buck anti-incumbency, particularly by banking on women voters, who constitute 48.5%, through populist schemes and freebies like the Ladli Behana Yojana and LPG cylinders at `450 to the poor. The party has also replaced non-performer MLAs with fresh faces. Led by the party chief and its CM face Kamal Nath, the Congress on the other hand seems confident of wresting power by a bigger margin than 2018 polls.
The party is relying on its 11 poll guarantees (Old Pension Scheme for government employees, freebies like Rs 1,500 monthly to women, resuming farm loan waiver, and conducting caste census). It is hopeful that the promise of a caste census will dent the BJP’s most trusted OBC vote. In Mizoram, the stakes for ruling MNF are high. Despite anti-incumbency, MNF stands a good chance of retaining power, thanks to its deft playing of the Kuki-Zo unity card.
NEW DELHI: With the poll panel announcing the election dates on Monday (see graphic), battle lines have been drawn for the high-stakes contest in five states, which is being seen as the semifinal bout before the 2024 general elections. Its results will be an indicator to the big battle ahead for the ruling BJP and the Opposition’s INDIA alliance.
While the Congress governments in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh are looking to retain power, the Congress is locked in a bitter fight with the BJP in Madhya Pradesh. Telangana has a three-way contest as the Congress and the BJP are pitted against the K Chandrashekar Rao-led Bharat Rashtra Samithi government. In Mizoram, NDA ally Mizo National Front is in power. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });
Despite its track record of replacing incumbents, Rajasthan hasn’t yet indicated which way it will swing. While the BJP is banking on anti-incumbency, the grand old party is pinning its hopes on the welfare schemes of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. While the BJP has sidelined its two-time CM Vasundhara Raje, it is crippled with several CM aspirants such as Union ministers Gajendra Shekhawat and Arjun Meghwal. In contrast, the Congress campaign is focused on Gehlot. However, all eyes are on how the feud between Gehlot and his former deputy Sachin Pilot will now play out, especially in East Rajasthan where Gujjar votes are crucial.
The two-phase polling in Chhattisgarh will see a direct fight between the ruling Congress and the BJP in the largely bipolar politics of the state. Though surveys have indicated CM Bhupesh Baghel will retain power, BJP is hopeful that the alleged scams and corruption cases against the government would work in its favour. The contest between the ruling BJP and the Congress in Madhya Pradesh may be the most keenly watched one among the five states.
The BJP is eyeing to buck anti-incumbency, particularly by banking on women voters, who constitute 48.5%, through populist schemes and freebies like the Ladli Behana Yojana and LPG cylinders at `450 to the poor. The party has also replaced non-performer MLAs with fresh faces. Led by the party chief and its CM face Kamal Nath, the Congress on the other hand seems confident of wresting power by a bigger margin than 2018 polls.
The party is relying on its 11 poll guarantees (Old Pension Scheme for government employees, freebies like Rs 1,500 monthly to women, resuming farm loan waiver, and conducting caste census). It is hopeful that the promise of a caste census will dent the BJP’s most trusted OBC vote. In Mizoram, the stakes for ruling MNF are high. Despite anti-incumbency, MNF stands a good chance of retaining power, thanks to its deft playing of the Kuki-Zo unity card.
