Three months ago, no one would have imagined that the BJP would return to power in Madhya Pradesh. Even the party’s own central leadership was wary about reintroducing Shivraj Singh Chouhan as its chief ministerial candidate in the assembly elections – results of which gave the BJP 164 seats to the Congress’s 65 on December 3.
The Congress had been predicted to ride a wave of anti-incumbency to victory. It was high on confidence, with seemingly everything to its advantage. Yet a combination of factors – the Ladli Behna Yojana that launched just months before, Chouhan’s relentless campaign, winning over women voters, and an unexpected Modi factor – set the stage for the BJP to return.
