From anti-incumbency to corruption, top 10 issues in Madhya Pradesh assembly polls

As Madhya Pradesh gets down to elect a new government, here are ten issues that are likely to dominate the campaign scene and play a significant role in deciding the outcome of elections to the 230-member assembly.

The ruling BJP and the opposition Congress will remain the main contenders for power though outfits like the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) will seek to make their presence felt in pockets of their influence and give some serious fight to the two giants of Indian politics.

After the last polls in 2018, the state saw a change of guard mid-way in March 2020 when the Congress government led by veteran politician Kamal Nath collapsed and the BJP stormed back to power after remaining in opposition for just 15 months.

The BJP is facing the challenge of overcoming anti-incumbency of nearly four terms, barring a 15-month period from December 2018 to March 2020 when the Congress was in power. The Congress, on the other hand, will seek to encash what it sees as resentment among people against the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government on a range of issues.

1. Narendra Modi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dominate the campaign scene and will remain the BJP’s trump card. The saffron outfit will rely heavily on Modi’s powerful oratory, political charisma, enduring mass appeal and popularity to pull off yet another electoral victory.

2. Corruption/scams: The Congress is going to make alleged corruption under BJP rule its main poll plank. The opposition party has claimed that in Karnataka, it was “40 per cent” commission government when the BJP was in office, but in Madhya Pradesh it is “50 per cent” cut.

A few months ago, the Congress pasted posters across the state alleging “50 per cent” commission charge against the Shivraj Chouhan government.

The Congress has also alleged massive irregularities in the construction of Mahakal Lok in Ujjain.

The Congress has also listed more than 250 “major scams” during 18 years of the BJP rule. The list of financial scandals is topped by the Vyapam recruitment and admission scam.

3. Anti-incumbency: The BJP has been in power in Madhya Pradesh since 2003 barring a 15-month period (December 2018-March 2020), when the Congress ruled the state, and faces anti-incumbency.

All these years, Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan remained the face of the party.

In a change of strategy, the BJP has fielded three Union ministers and four Members of Parliament in the state, a move being seen as an attempt to blunt anti-incumbency against Chouhan, a four-term CM.

The presence of so many senior BJP leaders has left the field wide open for chief ministerial aspirants.

4. Fate of Scindia supporters: It will be an uphill task for Union civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia to get poll tickets for all his key supporters who left the Congress in 2020 and joined the BJP with him.

Accommodating all of them will come at the cost of dedicated BJP leaders and workers and will surely cause resentment.

5. Crime: Rising crime graph, especially incidents against women and members of vulnerable sections, including Dalits and tribals, is a major issue among voters.

The incident where a person urinated on a tribal man in Sidhi district shocked the state. In a damage control exercise, Chief Minister Chouhan washed the feet of the tribal man and apologized to him.

6. Project Cheetah: The death of six cheetahs and three cubs in the Kuno National Park in MP has raised questions over the programme to reintroduce the world’s fastest land animal in the country. The reintroduction programme has become a talking point among people.

A section of conservationists has questioned the way the entire project was conceived and implemented.

7. Farmers: Agriculture-related issues have always dominated the political discourse in the state and all parties have tried to woo cultivators. Both the Congress and the BJP have traded charges of cheating farmers on the issue of farm loan waiver when in power.

Non-availability of quality seeds and shortage of fertilizers have been major concerns for farmers.

8. Unemployment: High rate of unemployment among youths remains a challenge and among top issues for voters. In a bid to win over jobless youths, the AAP has promised unemployment allowance if voted to power.

On the other hand, the BJP government has been trying to develop skills among youngsters and provide financial assistance to them.

9. Education and health: Both are closely associated with common citizens and their overall welfare. A large number of schools have been opened in rural areas, but there is a dearth of qualified teachers. And if teachers are available, there is a lack of infrastructure for providing proper education to students. Regularisation of temporary teachers is a major issue in these polls.

Most hospitals in small towns and primary health centres lack adequate trained staff, especially doctors. This adversely affects health services in rural areas.

10. CM face: While the Congress has clearly said that its veteran leader Kamal Nath is the CM face of the party, the BJP is not clear on the matter despite Chief Minister Chouhan remaining the most popular figure among the state leaders.