Indore: Battling the exit of some key leaders in poll season, the Congress in Madhya Pradesh is facing a formidable challenge of penetrating the Dhar Lok Sabha seat - a BJP stronghold - where tribals and farmers play a decisive role in determining the outcome of elections.
Reserved for tribal candidates and having around 19.5 lakh eligible voters, the Dhar seat has been held by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the last 10 years. It will go to polls in the fourth phase of the seven-phase election on May 13.
The BJP has fielded former MP Savitri Thakur from Dhar, denying renomination to sitting MP Chhatar Singh Darbar, while the Congress has nominated Radheshyam Muvel, a supporter of the leader of opposition in the state assembly Umang Singhar.
While Muvel claimed the exit of some leaders would not affect his poll prospects, Thakur expressed confidence in winning the election, saying her party has worked for the region's development.
Muvel, who is contesting a Lok Sabha election for the first time, asserted that he would win by a margin of at least 1.5 lakh votes.
''Dhar voters have been asking what Thakur did for the constituency when she was an MP between 2014 and 2019. Tribals are still forced to migrate from the district due to unemployment,'' Muvel told PTI.
The BJP candidate had 'nothing to show' as her own achievements and was banking on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to win the seat, even though there was no 'Modi wave' this time, Muvel said.
The Modi government has failed to tackle basic problems like price rise and unemployment, the Congress candidate claimed.
Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the Congress suffered a major setback when its former MP from Dhar, Gajendra Singh Rajukhedi, quit the party and joined the BJP in March.
''Switching of sides by opportunistic leaders will not make any difference to us in the Lok Sabha elections. Only the Congress leaders who are corrupt are going to the BJP,'' Muvel said.
However, Thakur expressed confidence that she would win the election by a margin of more than three lakh votes and said she does not see Muvel's candidature as a challenge.
There are about 10 lakh women voters in the constituency and the BJP has done a lot of work for their welfare, she said.
Thakur is seeking the support of the voters of Dhar where the prime minister addressed a huge rally on May 7, by highlighting -- 'Modi ki guarantee'.
She claimed the Congress could not provide any benefit to the tribals despite being in power in the country for 70 years.
''Under the Congress rule, wells, roads and ponds were built only on paper due to rampant corruption in tribal areas. During the Modi government's tenure, concrete work has been done on the ground in these areas,'' Thakur said.
The Dhar Lok Sabha constituency comprises eight assembly segments, including Mhow in the Indore district. In the 2023 state assembly elections, the Congress bagged five of these segments while the BJP won three.
Political analyst Prakash Hindustani said, ''The Congress cannot have high hopes in the Lok Sabha election even after a good performance in Dhar in the last assembly polls because the arithmetic of both the elections is completely different.''
Interactions with voters in Dhar suggest that in addition to national issues, the Bhojshala dispute, railway projects and priority to local people in employment in industrial areas are also important issues for them in the Lok Sabha elections.
The Bhojshala-Kamal Maula Mosque here is a medieval-era monument that Hindus claim is a temple of Goddess Vagdevi (Saraswati), while the Muslims say it is a centuries-old mosque.
On March 11 this year, the Madhya Pradesh High Court directed the Archaeological Survey of India to carry out a scientific survey of the structure, which has been underway since March 22.
The Indore-Dahod and Dhar-Chhota Udepur rail projects will link Madhya Pradesh to neighbouring Gujarat.
Dhar resident Archana Bansal, who manages her household while also assisting in the family business, said she feels the proposed rail project is the most important poll issue as it would lead to the area's development.
''The Bhojshala matter is also a key issue and it will impact the poll equations,'' she added.
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