Madhya Pradesh’s 82 reserved BJP plans to take the fight to Cong, MNF seats key to win the state polls

The battle for votes in Mizoram, going to polls on November 28, is a direct fight between ruling Congress, which has been in power since 2008 and Mizo National Front (MNF), the biggest regional outfit. However, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has never won an assembly seat in the state, plans to take the fight to the two major parties.

Enthused by its success in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Tripura, the BJP, which is also part of the ruling coalition in Nagaland and Meghalaya, is fielding 39 candidates in the 40 member Mizoram Assembly.

In 2013, the party fielded 17 candidates and garnered 0.37% vote share (2,139 votes) in the state where Christians comprise 87% of the population.

The party is the talking point not just among the state’s 7 lakh plus voters but is also an important factor for its rivals too.

However, BJP’s pro-Hindutva image doesn’t have many takers in the state, but most agree even though it may not open its account, the BJP may influence government formation, in the event of a hung verdict.

“BJP has never had any influence in Mizoram elections. But due to dissidence within Congress, which led to some of their leaders joining the saffron party, BJP may win one or two seats this time,” says Prof. Doungel, from political science department of Mizoram University.

The BJP’s confidence stems from the fact that earlier this year it won 12 of the 40 seats in Nagaland and 2 of the 60 seats in Meghalaya—both Christian majority states in the region where the party is part of the ruling coalition. “We are a secular party and there’s no question of suppressing religious rights of anyone. If BJP comes to power, the state will benefit from various Central schemes which the Congress government hasn’t implemented well,” says JV Hluna, BJP’s state unit chief.

CONGRESS AND MNF’S BJP LINK

Interestingly, the Congress and the MNF have a saffron connection. MNF is part of North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), a regional anti-Congress platform started by BJP and the Congress joined hands with the saffron party to rule the Chakma Autonomous District Council (CADC) in Mizoram after the election there threw a fractured verdict.

“We are part of NEDA only for parliamentary polls. There’s no question of any alliance at the state level. BJP’s pro-Hindutva image won’t work in Mizoram and it should consider itself lucky if it wins one seat,” said former chief minister and MNF president Zoramthanga.

In tribal dominated Dindori district, 470 kilometres south east of Bhopal, the ‘dashgotra’ or 10th day ritual after a death is an opportunity that political parties wouldn’t miss. A dance is organized and the event is usually well attended, giving party workers a perfect opportunity to mingle with the adivasis.

In Jhabua, another tribal dominated district 341 kilometres south west of Bhopal, a khantla sabha, or a meeting between political candidates and adivasis usually over tea and snacks, is set to begin over the weekend in each village.

As political campaigning heats up in Madhya Pradesh, which goes to polls on November 28, the two main parties in the fray—the Bharatiya Janta Party and Congress—have pulled out all stops to win over the scheduled caste and tribe populations. The reason: central to gaining power in the state is 82 reserved seats, 47 for scheduled tribes and 35 for scheduled castes, out of the total 230.

This includes tribal-dominated regions such as Shahdol, Dindori, Mandla, Alirajpur and Jhabua, and scheduled castedominated areas include Bhind, Morena, Tikamgarh, Rewa, and Raisen among others.

As per the 2011 census, scheduled castes constitute 15.6% and scheduled tribes 21.1 % of the total population of the state, which is 7.26 crore.

In the 2013 assembly elections, Bharatiya Janta Party won 59 of these seats—31 ST and 28 SC reserved seats, while Congress won 15 and four, respectively.

In 2008 assembly elections, when Congress had improved its performance in comparison to 2003 assembly elections, BJP had won 54 SC/ST seats, compared to Congress’s 26. BJP’s dominance over these seats began in the 2003 assembly elections, when due to a strong antiincumbency wave against Congress, BJP won as many as 67 of the SC/ST seats, while Congress won only five that year.

“Any party which wins about 60 of the 82 seats can be confident enough to form its government,” said a senior Bharatiya Janta Party leader who did not wish to be named. He said that the BJP is focussed on retaining the SC/ST seats, given that antiincumbency could mean that the party may not be able to increase its tally in the state.

“I will vote for a party which can bring about a change in our life and protect us from moneylenders’ malpractices,” said Gannalal Parmar, an adivasi from Jhabua.

The BJP dominance over these seats is attributed to the work that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological parent of the BJP, as well as its affiliated organisations like Vanvasi Kalyan Parishad and Sewa Bharati have been doing in these areas. Central government schemes such as the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna and state schemes like Ladli Laxmi Yojna and the Sambal Yojna, which was introduced this year offering a number of benefits like financial assistance during and after delivery among other things, are touted by party workers, said a senior BJP leader who did not wish to be named.

State Congress spokesperson Bhupendra Gupta said the party manifesto promises lease rights to adivasis and nutrition allowance for most backward adivasi groups, Baiga, Bharia and Saharia, to be raised to ~ 1,500 from the existing ~ 1,000, among other things.

A former office-bearer of Gondwana Gantantra Party Dheerendra Dheeru said whatever the political parties said about their ideologies and principles, they mainly wooed tribal votes through money and liquor.

The Bahujan Samaj Party which got four seats in the 2013 assembly elections hopes to win a good number of seats this time. “The weaker section has realised that whether it’s Bharatiya Janta Party or Congress they have betrayed them in Madhya Pradesh. Hence, BSP is going to win a good number of seats,” said BSP state president Pradeep Ahirwar.

AIZAWL: BHOPAL: