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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), under the leadership of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, has devised a multi-pronged action plan to connect with voters ahead of the Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections – from setting up welfare boards for over a dozen castes to cash-based schemes for women, and incentive-based skill development schemes for the youth.
In this article, we delve into the following questions:
What is the BJP's action plan?
Why is the party pushing for a caste-centered election?
What ails its grand plan?
The BJP has adopted new and prudent ways to appease different sections of voters in MP.
On multiple occasions over the last two months, Chouhan has announced the formation of separate welfare boards, batting to get the caste dynamics of the state in play.
In April 2023, the chief minister announced to set up a welfare board for the major sub-castes of the scheduled caste (SC) communities in the state.
Besides that, he announced the formation of around 15 welfare boards for different communities, including Kori, Jatav, Rajak, Telghani, and even Brahmins, adding that the chairperson of the board would be given the status of a minister.
In 2013, the BJP won 31 out of the 47 ST seats in the state. However, five years later, in the 2018 state elections, the BJP's tally dropped to 16 seats. In the same elections, it won 18 out of 35 SC seats.
Speaking to The Quint, a senior party leader said that the BJP is following its principle of 'Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas' and that the recent announcements are a part of that campaign.
However, senior journalist and political commentator Arun Dixit opined that the BJP is trying its best to counter the anti-incumbency factor and its unfulfilled promises.
The BJP has specifically directed its attention towards the tribal and SC communities by organising various events in the past year to gain favour with these voters. These efforts include the announcement of public holidays, the construction of statues, and the introduction of scholarships named after prominent figures from these communities for their students.
Over the past two months, the Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led government has also unveiled multiple schemes targeting different sections of the electorate, including women, youth, and the elderly.
For women, under the flagship scheme 'Ladli Behna Yojana', the chief minister announced Rs 1,000 per month to all the eligible women of the state. For the youth, they promised 1 lakh jobs.
To sway around 20 lakh elderly voters, Chouhan recently flagged off the first batch of devotees to Allahabad under the Mukhyamantri Teerth Darshan Yojana in May 2023. The government claimed that since its inception, the scheme has benefitted around 8 lakh elders in the state.
However, a political analyst, who wished to remain anonymous, said that the Congress has countered the BJP with a better proposition after they announced to give domestic cylinders at Rs 500 – and pay Rs 1,500 to eligible women in the state.
One significant challenge that the BJP is facing in the run-up to the Assembly elections 2023 is the centralisation of power from Madhya Pradesh to Delhi.
According to senior journalists and political commentators, the state BJP unit has been deprived of its authority to make decisions. As a result, even though they may have a well-thought-out plan, they are unable to put it into action.
A senior journalist, requesting anonymity, said:
Although while talking to The Quint, BJP spokesperson Rajneesh Agarwal dismissed the debate around infighting and non-cooperation among the senior leaders, experts believe that the top leadership is in dismay.
However, infighting in the BJP has been the talk of the town for quite some time now.
Senior leaders have raised their reservations about contesting the elections with Chouhan as the chief ministerial candidate as the party lost the previous election under his leadership, said sources.
Dixit conceded, saying, "There are too many smaller power centres now with no single man at the top to control and command things. With all the decisions being made in Delhi, the state is sort of running without a proper person in charge, and hence, everybody is playing their hands."
Earlier, senior BJP leaders like Deepak Joshi, former cabinet minister and son of Jansangh leader Kailash Joshi, jumped over to Congress, accusing the BJP of neglecting the leaders and humiliating them.
Another senior journalist – from the Vindhya region of the state – said that senior leaders have been ignored, and the current state BJP president VD Sharma favouring his mates from his student union days has troubled many leaders.
He said:
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