Madhya Pradesh Polls: A BJP Dominant State Where Congress Expects Conversion

Poll-schedules for the five states are expected to be announced on Monday by the Election Commission of India. Madhya Pradesh, where the recent elections were all outright battles between the ruling BJP and Congress, is on high surveillance as this edition is also anticipated to be stiff encounter between the two parties. Congress seems more confident as backed by the newly contrived opposition alliance INDIA, while BJP affirmed to retain the government despite any cost.

The BJP, contemplating a tough fight, has already announced candidates in the seats it lost in the last elections and brought leaders from the centre to fuel the political scene. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the poll-bound state a few times, including one on Thursday, October 5 as part of inaugurating developmental projects. He held a roadshow in Gwalior.

The Congress is yet to announce the candidates, but is determined to ensure a remarkable contest with the aid of INDIA alliance. For them, it is really crucial to better the performance in 2018.

The last assembly elections for Madhya Pradesh were conducted on November 28, 2018. In the election, Congress emerged as the single-largest party with 114 seats among the 230 constituencies, and was a direct political battle between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Indian National Congress (INC). INC wasn’t able to win at least one assembly election in the state after 2003, while BJP secured three consecutive terms.

In the 2018 election, INC’s Kamal Nath was chosen as the state Chief minister. But however, in 2020, the Supreme Court of India issued a 24-hour notice to the Kamal Nath government on a petition filed by the State’s ex-CM and BJP leader Shivraj Chouhan in which Mr Chouhan sought a floor test in the state legislative assembly immediately.

Madhya Pradesh witnessed a political overturn in 2020 as Mr Chouhan took oath as the Chief Minister of the state once again (for the fourth time) on March 23 after 22 Congress MLA’s resigned along with Jyotiraditya Scindia resulting the collapse of Kamal Nath government. Shivraj Singh Chouhan is the current and longest serving Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh.

In 2018, BJP’s vote share was recorded 41.6% while Congress stood with 41.5% matching the saffron party’s vote share, falling just back to the majority mark.