The clouds of dust rising from the broken and pot-holed road that leads to the 11th century Bhojeshwar temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva, belie the political legacy and history of the Bhojpur constituency that is identified with the temple, a heritage site under the Archaeological Survey of India.
Barely 30 km from Bhopal, the Assembly seat was once represented by the late Sunderlal Patwa, a BJP stalwart and former Chief Minister of undivided Madhya Pradesh. He is the only person ever to have defeated Congress leader Kamal Nath in a Lok Sabha election, in his bastion of Chhindwara in a 1997 bypoll. Even now, the Bhojpur Assembly seat is represented by his nephew and BJP MLA, Surendra Patwa, who is seeking a fourth term from here.
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In 2018, the Congress party had fielded former Union Minister Suresh Pachouri here, because of his roots in Bhojpur, but he lost. This time, the Congress is fielding Rajkumar Patel who is, ironically, from Budhni, the constituency of incumbent Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
Better roads needed
“Patel ji had come here last evening to seek support,” says 26-year-old Rahul Jain, who works in a food stall just opposite the temple, which was built by the 11th century ruler Raja Bhoja. He takes care not to reveal his choice, but says, “There is a contest.”
Asked if issues like poor roads could be an issue on the basis of which voters will decide, he says, “I don’t know about votes, but better roads would certainly increase the number of tourists who come and that would improve our earnings.”
Voters in the constituency are a mix of local residents, people working in nearby industrial units, farmers, and agricultural labourers. Though there is no regular flow of pilgrims to the temple as regular puja is not done at the ASI-protected site, local residents make a living by selling religious statues, trinkets, and other curios to the tourists who come to the monument.
‘Why vote for change?’
“Rajkumar Patel isn’t from here and he has been losing elections earlier too,” says Santosh Yadav, a 34-year-old resident associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). “The biggest issue is to protect our culture and pass on better values to our children. And that, only the BJP can do,” he adds.
Mr. Yadav argues that the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government has delivered on the ground, with measures like the Ladli Behna scheme that offers a monthly cash assistance of over ₹1000 to women and its pledge to provide LPG cylinders for ₹450.
If the presence of party flags in an area is an indication of strength, then the BJP leads by a long way. Almost every house has a BJP flag or poster on it, publicising promises like hiking the Ladli Behna allowance up to ₹3,000 a month.
“Why will anyone vote for a change when the BJP is giving us everything?”asks 69-year-old Gopal Lovanshi, a farmer from the area.
Congress promises to women, farmers
His older friend Heeralal nods, but only in partial agreement. “It’s true that all these schemes are being offered and many are getting them but there is a lot of corruption at lower levels,” says the 75-year-old. “I have run from pillar to post for my old age pension but I have not managed to get my papers sorted to get it,” he adds.
Asked about the Kamal Nath government that lasted for just 15 months, Mr. Heeralal says, “They were not given a chance to continue. But within that short span, they did waive off loans and my son has been a beneficiary.”
Imaratbai, in her mid-60s, offers another reason to support the Opposition party. “The Congress has promised ₹1,500 to every woman unlike the Ladli Behna Yojana,” she says, pointing to the upper ceiling of 60 years for eligibility under the Ladli Behna scheme.
