In poll-bound Madhya Pradesh, Shah seeks to blunt anti-incumbency, infighting
Except for 18 months between 2018 and 2020, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been in power in the Madhya Pradesh since 2003
Union home minister Amit Shah visited Madhya Pradesh thrice within 20 days in July as part of attempts to blunt anti-incumbency and infighting within the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) months before the state is due to go to the polls. Except for 18 months between 2018 and 2020, BJP has been in power in the state since 2003.
Polls in five states, including Madhya Pradesh, accounting for roughly 15% of India’s population are expected to set the tone for the 2024 national elections.
The Congress returned to power in Madhya Pradesh in 2018 but lost it in March 2020 when 22 legislators quit the party and resigned from the state assembly. In May, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said the Congress will form the next government in the state and win 150 of 230 seats.
A BJP leader, who did not want to be named, said Shah was alarmed over squabbling in the state unit and the growing communication gap between the government and the organisation. He added leaders such as Ajay Vishnoi, Deepak Joshi, Bhanwar Singh Shekhawat, and Satyanarayan Sattan have publicly expressed their displeasure while Deepak Joshi defected to the Congress in May.
The BJP lost seven of the 16 mayoral elections to the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in 2022. AAP achieved a major electoral success when Rani Agarwal, a former BJP leader, was elected as Singrauli’s mayor.
A second BJP leader, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Shah has been taking an active interest in the state for over a year. “The central party leadership wants to avoid a repeat of Himachal and Karnataka in Madhya Pradesh,” he said, referring to the Congress return to power in the two states in 2022 and in May.
The second leader said Shah has instructed the party leaders to be in constant contact with workers up to the booth level, create awareness on how the government has brought a drastic change in the lives of people, and get regular feedback from party workers about BJP’s position in different regions. He added that Shah has also underlined the need for engaging all party leaders in preparations for the elections.
Shah hailed booth-level workers in Indore during his third visit in July for their role in ensuring the party’s victories. On July 11, Shah held a four-hour closed-door meeting with leaders including Union ministers Bhupendra Yadav, Ashwini Vaishnav, Jyotiraditya Scindia and Narendra Singh Tomar, chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and state chief VD Sharma in Bhopal. Yadav and Vaishnav are state election affairs in charge and co-in charge.
The meeting was held on the day Tomar was appointed as the party’s election management committee convener.
After Shah’s second visit in July, former minister Jayant Malaiya was named the head of the manifesto committee. BJP leaders said Malaiya was upset with the party leadership after a notice was issued to him over BJP’s defeat in the 2021 Domah assembly by-poll.
Former state BJP chief Prabhat Jha, who has for years hardly held any responsibility in the party, was made Malaiya’s deputy. Former ministers Umashankar Gupta, Rajendra Shukla, and Rampal Singh, who also felt sidelined, were included in the 21-member election management committee.
A third BJP leader said district conveners were appointed at Shah’s instance. Another 15 committees were in the offing to accommodate more senior leaders.
BJP leader Ashish Agrawal said whenever big leaders visit, they offer guidance. He added they are working to achieve a massive victory under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, national president JP Nadda, Shah, Chouhan, and Sharma.