MP Polls: BJP Relies on Welfare Initiatives, Modi’s Popularity in Chambal-Gwalior Region
GG News Bureau
Gwalior, 15th Oct. The BJP is facing challenges in its efforts to improve its standing in the Chambal-Gwalior region, which had rejected the party in the previous Madhya Pradesh assembly elections.
Regional factors and the Congress’ call for change are challenging the ruling party’s narrative centered around development and welfare.
While Prime Minister Narendra Modi receives praise for his leadership at the national level, voters in the region also express the need for change in the state. They have mixed views on Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s government and voice various complaints.
While some voters acknowledge the government’s improvements in road conditions, electricity, and water supply, many question its overall record and express concerns about Chouhan’s 18-year rule.
They also criticize issues such as price rise, unemployment, bureaucratic apathy, corruption, and stray cattle.
However, some voters sympathize with the BJP due to their support for Modi.
The party’s welfare initiatives, such as the Ladli Behna Yojna for poor women and a cash transfer scheme for farmers, seem to be helping its cause.
Despite this, the demand for change is a common refrain among voters. They express the need for a shift in power dynamics and complain about corruption and bureaucratic insensitivity.
The Congress benefits from the wariness towards the BJP among a significant portion of voters. While the Congress’ recent focus on caste census does not resonate strongly in this region, its promises of welfare measures for farmers and weaker sections find support.
With the elections still a month away, many voters in Morena and Gwalior districts remain undecided.
These districts account for 12 assembly seats, and the Congress had won 11 of them in the 2018 assembly polls. However, the BJP’s tally increased to three following the 2020 bypolls when 25 MLAs, mostly loyal to Jyotiraditya Scindia, resigned from the Congress and joined the BJP.
The upcoming polls are a test for Scindia, whose defection to the BJP played a crucial role in bringing the party to power in 2020 but has also caused tensions between his loyalists and the old guard.
The BJP’s decision to field three Union ministers, including Narendra Singh Tomar, in the elections has sparked speculation about the party’s leadership considering alternatives to Chouhan.
Scindia’s presence in the BJP is seen as a potential game-changer in the region, and the party hopes it will improve its prospects in the upcoming polls on November 17.
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