Madhya Pradesh swings between BJP, Congress

The stage is set for final act of electoral drama in MP with the main parties, the Congress and BJP, finalising most of their candidates for LS poll.

The stage is set for the final act of the electoral drama in Madhya Pradesh with the main parties, the Congress and BJP, finalising most of their candidates for the parliamentary poll.

The two major parties will battle for the 29 constituencies in the state in the elections on May 5 and 10.

Once the largest and now the second largest state after Chhattisgarh was carved out of it in 2000, Madhya Pradesh is important for both parties. Before the bifurcation, this central Indian state had 40 seats.

Since its formation in 1956, it has been considered a stronghold of the Congress but the party's grip over the state has been slipping -- in the last assembly election in December 2003, the Congress was trounced and the BJP led by Uma Bharati came to power.

However, even Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee faced a dismal defeat against the late Madhav Rao Scindia in Gwalior in the parliamentary election in 1984.

But it is also true that the BJP has been consistently increasing its base in the state since 1950s. Riding the Ram temple wave, it was able to sweep the elections in 1989.

The first Lok Sabha, lower house of parliament, poll was held here in 1957. The Congress won in 26 out of 27 constituencies. The Hindu Mahasabha won the remaining seat.

The Bharatiya Janasangh, the erstwhile Bharatiya Janata Party, was able to open its account in the state in the next general elections in 1962 when the number of seats in the state rose to 36. The Congress won 24 seats while the Bharatiya Janasangh won three seats. Smaller parties and independent candidates won nine seats.

The Janasangh's tally rose from three to 10 in the 1967 elections while the Congress' strength remained the same.

In 1971, the number of constituencies increased to 37. While the Congress won in 21 constituencies, the Bharatiya Janasangh emerged victorious in 11.

The Congress was totally wiped out in the elections held after the Emergency in 1977. Out of 40 seats, the Congress won only one. The Bharatiya Lok Dal won in 37 constituencies while two seats went to independent candidates.

In 1980, the Congress returned with a bang, winning 35 seats while the Janata Party won four seats. The remaining seat went to an independent candidate.

In the 1984 elections, held after the assassination of prime minister Indira Gandhi, the Congress won all 40 seats.

The BJP agitation to build a Ram temple in Ayodhya in the late 1980s saw the party sweeping the 1989 elections, winning 27 seats while the Congress retained only eight. The Janata Dal won four seats while one went to an independent candidate.

The Congress regained some of its lost ground in 1991 when it won 27 seats while the BJP was won only 12. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) was also able to win a seat.

Five years later in 1996, the BJP gained a majority in the state winning 27 seats. It maintained its winning streak till 1999. In the 1998 election, it won 30 seats and in 1999, it got 29 seats.

With the formation of Chhattisgarh, the number of seats was reduced to 29 -- BJP has 21 seats while the Congress has eight seats in the new scenario.

"No doubt, the state was the stronghold of the Congress till mid-1980s. But the results of the last three elections show that now it is a bastion of the BJP," said a political observer.

"It is to be seen which party will be favoured by the people of the state. The BJP is confident after the assembly elections. The Congress, on the other hand, is desperate to win and will leave no stone unturned.

"The party will surely attack the BJP-led state government for failing to deliver on what it had promised before the assembly elections," said the observer.