It is now less than a week before the first phase of Lok Sabha election and like the rest of the country, campaigning has reached its peak in Madhya Pradesh where six seats will go to the polls on April 19.
The six seats where voting will take place are Chhindwara, Mandla (ST), Balaghat and Jabalpur of Mahakoshal region, and Shahdol (ST) and Sidhi of Vindhya region. In 2019, the BJP had won five of them barring Chhindwara.
Top leaders of the two main parties in the State — the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress — including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi have campaigned here.
And while local issues of migration, employment and infrastructure were resonating on the ground earlier, national leaders have largely succeeded in making sure that the focus remains on subjects like the Ram Temple, abrogation of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir, caste census and legal MSP for farmers. In his latest visit to Balaghat, Mr. Modi talked about everything from the freedom struggle to last G20 Summit in Delhi.
While each seat has its own caste equation that is going to play a crucial role in the polls, tribal voters are in a dominating position in all six constituencies with over 20% vote share in each of them, except Jabalpur, where it is about 15%.
So, the BJP and the Congress have constantly appealed to them accusing the other of insulting the community.
After incumbent Chhindwara MP Nakul Nath called Kamlesh Shah, then MLA from Chhindwara’s Amarwara, a gaddar (traitor) for moving from Congress to BJP, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav was quick to link the remarks with the whole tribal community and sought an apology from the Lok Sabha member.
Similarly, when Mr. Gandhi stopped his convoy in his previous visit to meet some tribal women in Shahdol and tasted the Mahua flower, Mr. Yadav remarked that eating Mahua “reflected his likings”. Various State Congress leaders slammed the CM for “insulting” the tribals and demanded an apology.
Kamal Nath’s legacy vs BJP in Chhindwara
Chhindwara, which has become synonymous with Congress veteran Kamal Nath, is the most highlighted constituency of the lot due to the BJP’s aggressive campaigning against him and his son Nakul Nath, the sitting MP and party candidate. The BJP has fielded its district president Vivek ‘Bunty’ Sahu from the seat.
BJP national president J. P. Nadda held a rally in the Nath-family bastion on Friday and asked people to “bring a change” in Chhindwara. And even though Mr. Modi and Mr. Shah have so far steered clear of campaigning in Chhindwara or even making a direct reference to it during their recent rallies, the State unit of the BJP has taken the fight to the Naths with leaders like Kailash Vijayvargiya and Prahlad Patel have camped there for days.
Chief Minister Yadav has also held numerous rallies in Chhindwara. On Friday, he termed the Nath family as an “outsider” and asked the people to ensure victory for the “local candidate”.
On the other hand, the Nath family has this time centred its campaign around emotional lines with Mr. Kamal Nath, who has held the parliamentary seat nine times since 1980, constantly saying that he “dedicated his life” for its development and that “Chhindwara has gained an identity over the years”.
Top Congress leaders, including Mr. Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and national party president Mallikarjun Kharge are yet to make a visit to the constituency. The move is believed to be a result of reports and rumours that were rife in the beginning of the year, later refuted by Mr. Kamal Nath, that he could shift loyalties and join the BJP.
With this, the contest in Chhindwara is more about Mr. Kamal Nath’s legacy versus the ruling BJP than a battle between the two parties.
Mr. Nath is also battling a series of defections from the Congress to the ruling party going on across the State. In Chhindwara too, several leaders close to him, including an MLA, Mayor and a long-term confidant of Mr. Nath — ex-MLA Deepak Saxena — have switched over.
Mandla (ST) is another hot seat where Union Minister and BJP candidate Faggan Singh Kulaste is battling personal anti-incumbency and hopes to benefit from the Prime Minister’s popularity. Mr. Kulaste, who was among the three Union Ministers fielded by the BJP in 2023 State Assembly polls, lost from Niwas (ST) seat of Mandla Lok Sabha segment.
The Congress here has fielded MLA and prominent tribal leader Omkar Singh Markaam, who had earlier lost to Mr. Kulaste in the 2014 general election.
Multi-polar contests
In at least two constituencies, rebels and regional parties like the Gondwana Gantantra Party (GGP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) have made the contests interesting. Even though the chances of their winning appear slim, they look to disturb the BJP and Congress’ equations.
In Sidhi, former BJP Rajya Sabha MP Ajay Pratap Singh, who recently quit the party, is in fray on a GGP ticket. Independent candidate Lakshman Singh Bais can also make a dent into the over two lakh votes of his community. The BJP has fielded a fresh face here in Dr. Rajesh Mishra, while the Congress has entrusted former State Minister Kamleshwar Patel.
In Balaghat, former MP Kankar Munjare, who was denied a ticket by the Congress, has entered the contest on a BSP ticket. His wife, MLA Anubha Munjare, remains in the Congress. The couple recently made headlines after Mr. Munjare left their house till the polling is over due to “ideological difference” with his wife. Mr. Munjare hails from the influential Lodhi community and is expected to attract a significant number of votes from it.
The BJP here denied ticket to its incumbent MP Dhal Singh Bisen and fielded municipal councillor Bharti Pardhi, while the Congress has named Samrat Saraswat, Balaghat Jila Panchayat president.
