Welfare plank boosts BJP prospects in MP polls, sets off its worry in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh

In MP, the BJP has been grappling with the “fatigue factor” since the party has been ruling the state since 2003 barring a hiatus between December 2018 and March 2020, when the Kamal Nath-led Congress was at the helm. The saffron party’s morale in the state has however been boosted in light of the traction that the Chouhan government’s welfare programmes is believed to have got among the people, especially its Ladli Behna scheme.

In neighbouring Rajasthan though, the BJP seems to be worried over the perceived popular acceptance of the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government’s welfare schemes such as the Chiranjeevi health insurance programme, BJP sources said.

“The BJP is marching ahead in MP by brushing aside the anti-incumbency factor through the activities and preparations of a robust party organisation and the welfare initiatives taken by CM Chouhan,” sources said.

“Chouhan’s Ladli Behna is going to be a game changer. In our assessment, it has captured the people’s hearts already,” said a BJP leader. Under the BJP government’s Mukhyamantri Ladli Behna Yojana, an amount of Rs 1,000 is being sent to the bank accounts of married women aged between 23 and 60 years every month for their financial empowerment. In the second week of July, the BJP government transferred the second tranche of the scheme’s money to 1.25 crore women.

Keeping in view the increasing disquiet among the voters over price rise, the Chouhan government is also likely to announce some fresh subsidies, including one for the cooking gas.

Several BJP leaders said that Chouhan is a “master campaigner” and has the “precision and endurance” that would make him a formidable challenge for his rivals. “Chouhan’s main rival Kamal Nath would not be able to catch up with him. There is no popular anger against Chouhan, there is just fatigue. But with the popular schemes, he has the goodwill — and he has the ability to build up on it,” said a party leader.

As part of its poll strategy in MP, the BJP is trying to ensure that in tougher seats, especially in tribal areas and in the constituencies where the Congress has an edge traditionally, there is a triangular fight. Besides the BSP, which has already started declaring its candidates, there would be smaller parties in the fray, such as the Jai Adivasi Yuva Sangathan (JAYS), a tribal outfit that has announced plans to fight elections in 80 of the state’s 230 seats.

At the organisational level, the BJP has already appointed Union Ministers, Bhupender Yadav and Ashwini Vaishnaw, as the in-charge and co-incharge, respectively, to monitor and supervise the electioneering in MP. It has also named Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, who hails from the Gwalior Chambal region, as the convener of the party’s campaign management committee.

In a bid to address internal rifts in the MP BJP, the state leadership is trying to accommodate many leaders in the party structure, giving them various responsibilities. The party has recently appointed election-in charges in the districts too.

Stung by its loss in Karnataka, the BJP wants to counter the Congress campaign on corruption against the Chouhan government at the initial stages. The state police recently filed an FIR against the social media handlers of senior Congress leaders, including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Kamal Nath and ex-Union minister Arun Yadav, over their posts accusing the BJP regime of being allegedly involved in corruption.

In a coordinated move, the Congress leaders had accused the Chouhan government of allegedly taking “50 per cent commission” — a rerun of the party’s successful campaign for the May Karnataka polls, where it targeted the then incumbent Basavaraj Bommai-led BJP government with the “40 per cent commission” barb.

“The BJP had paid a huge price in Karnataka for that campaign by the Congress. We should not let that happen in MP,” party sources said. According to them, the move to lodge the FIR against the Congress leaders was to send a strong signal that the party would not let their graft campaign stick in MP.

Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh are however a different story, where the major push for various welfare schemes by the Congress governments led by Chief Minister Gehlot and CM Bhupesh Baghel, respectively, has caused some anxiety in the BJP camp. For instance, in Rajasthan, where the BJP remains optimistic about its chances, the party is worried over the perceived popularity of the Chiranjeevi scheme. “Chiranjeevi’s wide coverage and popular public response has boosted the Congress morale in Rajasthan. The party will have to devise a strategy to counter it,” said a BJP leader.