Civic poll results a jolt for BJP in MP

Madhya Pradesh

Anti-incumbency stares BJP in the face

NK SINGH

The results of January 2018 civic elections make it abundantly clear that anti-incumbency sentiments stare the ruling BJP in the face in MP. The opposition Congress party seems to be fast gaining ground in the state, which will go to poll in less than a year’s time. 

The BJP has lost four of the six municipalities to the Congress even as it managed to capture seven of the 13 town councils that went to poll, with one seat going to an Independent candidate. In addition, the BJP also lost two town councils where voters unseated the ruling party under right to recall provision. 

More worrisome for the BJP, the Congress share in popular votes has surged by 7 per cent, 43 per cent in 2014 civic election as against 36 per cent in assembly election four years ago.

Till a few years ago, no one talked about, or cared for, results of local body elections in MP.  The local bodies were local bodies, and just that. It was the assembly and parliamentary elections that counted in political lexicon. 

But the BJP, more specifically Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the chief minister who is in election mode 24/7, changed the rules of the game. Chouhan does not take any election, howsoever insignificant, lightly. 

He is probably the first chief minister of MP who has started campaigning in municipal elections which are often decided by a margin of double digit votes. Most of his predecessors used to consider it below their dignity to campaign in even assembly by-elections.

This civic elections too the BJP led by Chouhan campaigned vigorously, as is his wont --- holdings road shows, rallies and door-to-door contacts in almost all municipalities that went to poll. He had reasons to do so. 

Cong on winning streak

The Congress, which won only 58 of the 230 assembly seats four years ago, seems to be on a winning streak ever since Ater assembly by election last April. Arvind Bhadoria, considered a BJP heavyweight, had to suffer the ignominy of defeat at the hands of Congress novice Hemant Katare. 

Ater is important because Chouhan had initiated a no-hold barred battle that included questioning patriotism of Scindia royal family. It is a family, whose matriarch, Vijaya Raje Scindia was one of the founder members of BJP and three of whose members are still the party’s chief minister and ministers in Rajasthan and MP.

Ater was followed by BJP’s poor performance in civic elections for 43 local bodies in August. The ruling party lost power in almost one third of the 28 local bodies where it ruled before August elections despite deploying half a dozen ministers. More alarming for it was the fact that the Congress increased its seats from 9 to 15. 

After that, BJP faced humiliation in Chitrakoot assembly by election last November. The result came as a shocker to Chouhan, party’s biggest vote catcher. Chouhan failed to create any kind of impact in Chitrakoot. The party lost even in those areas where he campaigned extensively or resorted to gimmicks like “selling tea” or spending night at homes of tribal.

                                                                                             

Given this background and the fact that January 2018 civic elections were being described as quarter-final before the forthcoming assembly polls, the BJP had pulled out all the stops. Yet the Congress captured two additional seats at the cost of BJP, which lost three. 

Congress won Manawar after a gap of 45 years and Dhar after 23 years. The BJP also faced a total washout in Anjad town council losing in all 15 wards. The Congress returned to power there after 15 years.

Chouhan tried to upturn Congress applecart in Raghogarh, former CM Digvijay Singh’s home town, as the former CM is on a pilgrimage of Narmada river, taking sanyas from politics for six months. 

BJP’s high profile campaign in Raghogarh that included road shows and rallies by the chief minister led to violent clashes between the two parties. But Singh’s son, MLA Jaivardhan Singh, defended the citadel very well in his father’s absence, winning 21 out of 24 wards.

The BJP’s only consolation is that it’s candidates for corporators in the 19 local bodies secured 46 per cent votes as against 43 per cent polled by the Congress. The ruling party also tried to unseat BSP from Akoda town council under right to recall, but the voters rejected the BJP.

Now the party braces itself for by election to Kolaras and Mungaoli assembly constituencies, which are being touted as semi-final for the vidhan sabha election later this year. No wonder both sides are trying to outshine each other in what promises to be the mother of all electoral battles.

Tailpiece

Chouhan tried to upturn Congress applecart in Raghogarh, former CM Digvijay Singh’s home town, as the former CM is on a pilgrimage of Narmada river, taking sanyas from politics for six months. 

BJP’s high profile campaign in Raghogarh that included road shows and rallies by the chief minister led to violent clashes between the two parties. But Singh’s son, MLA Jaivardhan Singh, defended the citadel very well in his father’s absence, winning 21 out of 24 wards.

The BJP’s only consolation is that it’s candidates for corporators in the 19 local bodies secured 46 per cent votes as against 43 per cent polled by the Congress. The ruling party also tried to unseat BSP from Akoda town council under right to recall, but the voters rejected the BJP.

Now the party braces itself for by election to Kolaras and Mungaoli assembly constituencies, which are being touted as semi-final for the vidhan sabha election later this year. No wonder both sides are trying to outshine each other in what promises to be the mother of all electoral battles.

Tailpiece MP State Election Commission prides itself on making the poll process transparent, displaying at town squares criminal antecedents of candidates, if any. But its computer’s algorithm was flummoxed by a history sheeter who decided to field his mother in the civic election.

The mother got elected unopposed – the only one to do so – as all other candidates, obviously is awe of his son, withdrew their nominations.  Our election commissions are not match for the ingenuity of street smart politicians.

Powers That Be, my column in DB Post of 22 Jan 2018

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