Shock defeat for BJP in Chhattisgarh civic elections

The party’s defeat was spread across the state, as it lost in the tribal zones of north Surguja and south Bastar, central plains, rural centres as well as the biggest urban seat of capital Raipur.

The results mark a huge gain for the Congress, which won only one of the 11 Lok Sabha seats in Chhattisgarh last May. On Sunday, the Congress won four municipal corporations, 16 municipalities and 50 nagar panchayats — its 2009 tally was three municipal corporations, 12 municipalities and 44 nagar panchayats.

However, while it is a vote against the BJP, it is not completely for the Congress. Many independent candidates clinched prominent seats, including two municipal corporations, seven municipalities and 18 nagar panchayats. Both these municipal corporations, Chirmiri and Raigarh, were with the BJP.

The most stunning victory is probably of Madhu, who won the prestigious Raigarh municipal corporation and became Chhattisgarh’s first kinnar (third gender) mayor. Madhu contested her first election as an independent and spent less than a lakh on the campaign.

The results come as a major blow for Chief Minister Raman Singh, who had personally led the campaign through the state. Almost in every seat, his face was projected instead of the local candidate. All local TV channels covered him live, and the BJP splurged on the campaign, even as the Congress seemed invisible.

The BJP even conceded the Raipur mayoral seat — home constituencies of ministers Brijmohan Agrawal and Rajesh Moonat and seven-time BJP MP Ramesh Bais — to the Congress. The entire BJP leadership, including the CM, had undertaken a massive campaign in Raipur. A fortnight before the elections, party president Amit Shah also visited Raipur.

“We will review the results,” said the CM on Sunday. During the campaign, he had repeatedly claimed that the “Congress will be completely wiped out, Chhattisgarh will become the first Congress-free state.”

“The results are unexpected,” said Agrawal.

Chhattisgarh is now the only BJP-ruled state where the party is in a poor state. The results can be attributed to several recent developments, all of which affected the CM’s image.

Last year, the state saw a fake ration cards scam under which nearly 14 lakh BPL cards were issued to ineligible and non-existent beneficiaries, causing a loss of over Rs 2000 crore to the state. However, the face of the scam, BJP leader Lilaram Bhojwani who got BPL cards for his family in the CM’s home constituency of Rajnandgaon, was rewarded and elevated as the party’s state treasurer. Bhojwani is known to be close to the CM and was his official representative.

Then there was the sterilisation camp in Bilaspur, which caused 13 deaths. But the CM continued to defend Health Minister Amar Agrawal.

He also defended Speaker Gaurishankar Agrawal over his illegal acquisition of 4.5 acres of government land in Raipur. Last month, the Bilaspur High Court finally served a notice to the state government on the issue.

The state government is yet to fulfil its poll promises, including the procurement of “every grain of rice”. Singh’s decision to limit paddy procurement without offering any alternative to the farmers, who have become completely dependent on paddy farming due to his policies, caused massive dissent.

The defeat will intensify the demand for Singh’s removal being made by several state and central leaders.

“He is no longer chaur (rice) wala baba. He is now Ciprocin wala baba,” said PCC chief Bhupesh Baghel, referring to the spurious tablets given by government doctors to women after the Bilaspur sterilisations

The results bolster Baghel and his Leader of Opposition T S Sinhadev, as the duo pulled an impressive show despite facing intense factionalism. Annoyed that his men were denied tickets, former Chief Minister Ajit Jogi had pulled out of the campaign.

The state recorded a turnout of 77.77 per cent as against 69.47 per cent during last year’s Lok Sabha polls, indicating that people came out in large numbers to vote against the ruling government. While the voting percentage for men was 78.02 per cent, for women it was 77.55 per cent.