Shivraj Singh Chouhan (L) and senior Congress leader Kamal Nath.
Credit: PTI File Photos
Madhya Pradesh achieved statehood in 1950 and has witnessed a succession of chief ministers and ruling parties, shifting between the Congress and the BJP.
However, in the year 2000, the state was divided into two, leading to the creation of the neighbouring state of Chhattisgarh. The erstwhile state had 320 Assembly seats, but post-bifurcation, it was left with 230 seats.
In this article, we will examine the performance of incumbent Madhya Pradesh Chief Ministers in the current 230-member state Assembly elections.
Digvijaya Singh - Congress
Congress veteran Digvijaya Singh served as the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh for a continuous period of 10 years, from 1993 to 2003. He contested in the subsequent elections but faced defeat at the hands of BJP's Uma Bharti, who secured a landslide victory and set the stage for the saffron party's rule in the state.
Uma Bharti - BJP
Sadhvi-turned-politician Uma Bharti joined BJP at a very young age. In the 2003 state Assembly polls, she was single-handedly responsible for BJP's sweeping victory over arch rivals, Congress.
Bharti was sworn-in as the CM in December 2003. However, her stint was cut short after an arrest warrant was issued against her in 2004 pertaining to the 1994 Hubli riot case. She subsequently resigned from the CM's chair which was later presided over by Babulal Gaur.
Later, Bharti had a fallout with the BJP and managed to form her own party, only to return back to the fold. Since then, Bharti has not contested MP Assembly polls, and it doesn't look like she'll be doing so anytime so.
Although, it has to be mentioned here that Uma Bharti has held various positions in the central and state ministries in both Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Narendra Modi governments.
Babular Gaur - BJP
Serving as the 16th chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, Babulal Gaur was a formidable name in Madhya Pradesh politics. He was brought as substitute of Uma Bharti after her resignation in 2004.
He went on to be the man-in charge of MP till 2005 to make way for Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Gaur has been elected to the MP Assembly 10 times.
He retired from electoral politics in 2018 owing to ill-health. Gaur passed away in 2019 at the age of 90.
Shivraj Singh Chouhan - BJP
The incumbent and the longest-serving chief minister of MP, Chouhan has been at the helm of affairs in the state since 2005. Under his leadership, BJP went to fight the 2008, 2013, and 2018 Assembly elections.
Chouhan spearheaded BJP's 2008 and 2013 poll campaign registering a mammoth victory for BJP, totally diminishing the Congress.
He contested the 2008 elections from his home turf of Budhni and emerged victorious with huge margin of 41,000 votes.
Likewise, in the 2013 Assembly polls, Chouhan outperformed himself and registered a massive win of 84805 votes against Congress candidate Mahendra Singh Chauhan in Budhni. This victory led Chouhan to lead the state for the straight third term.
However, an interesting turn of events in the 2018 polls put a dent in Chouhan's winning streak. It was a hung Assembly. Neither Congress, nor BJP could cross the majority mark of 116 seats.
With 114 seats, Congress fell short by a whisker but was declared the single-largest party, while BJP was only five places behind its arch rival with 109 seats.
Perhaps, Chouhan's popularity couldn't withstand the wave of anti-incumbency in MP.
Later, Congress managed to form the government in MP after forging alliances with SP, BSP, and Independent MLAs. Kamal Nath was Congress' choice for CM face.
Kamal Nath - Congress
Congress stalwart and party troubleshooter Kamal Nath was elected as the 18th CM of Madhya Pradesh. He went on to lead the state for 15 months before a political crisis hit the state in 2020. 22 sitting Congress MLAs rebelled against the party and quit - eventually leading to the fall of Kamal Nath government.
There were also reports of 'horse-trading' from BJP's end going around during this time. Another prominent then-Congress face Jyotiraditya Scindia's name too popped up amid the political hullabaloo. Later, Kamal Nath resigned from the CM's post after failing the Assembly floor test in March 2020.
Chouhan was all smiles again as this event paved way for him to grab the CM's throne yet again. Later, Scindia too joined BJP in the presence of party chief JP Nadda and was immediately handed Rajya Sabha ticket from MP by Chouhan.
Talking about individual performances of MP CMs, Shivraj Singh Chouhan stands tall among all the candidates across party lines. However, it should be noted that Digvijaya Singh, Uma Bharti, and Babulal Gaur never returned to the poll fray to contest for the throne of MP. But, what remains to be seen is how Kamal Nath-backed Congress plans to take on the Shivraj juggernaut this time.
If pollsters are to be believed, BJP has an upper hand over Congress in the upcoming state polls. However, at the same time, Congress too seems buckled up and looks to draw the first blood of their opponent after the 2020 fallout.
Besides, the Grand Old Party's grand declaration of sops for MP voters will surely make this clash of titans worth watching out for.
(Data and inputs from EC and IndiaVotes)