Low Ph-1 turnout: Shah miffed, pulls up MP BJP MLAs
Union home minister Amit Shah late Thursday night reviewed poll preparations by the BJP in the wake of a dip in the polling percentage in the first phase of the Lok Sabha polls, held in Madhya Pradesh April 19.
Mr Shah, who arrived in Bhopal at around 11.45 pm on Thursday, reportedly expressed his displeasure to the state BJP leadership over the decrease in polling percentage in the first phase of elections in the state.
Six Lok Sabha constituencies in MP had gone to polls in the first phase on April 19.
The average voting recorded in the first phase in the state was 7.32 per cent, less than that of the average polling in these seats in the 2019.
Mr Shah held discussions with CM Mohan Yadav, state BJP president V.D. Sharma, state organising secretary of the party Hitanand Sharma, party incharge of the LS polls in-MP Mohan Singh and coincharge Satish Upadhyaya to take stock of poll preparations by the BJP.
He also talked to several other BJP leaders over the phone, sources said.
Sources said that Mr Shah told the state party leadership that the party MLAs were not as active as they should be in their respective areas and said that they needed to pull up their shocks.
Sources said that the party MLAs were not found to be as active as they were during the November 2023 Assembly elections in the state.
Sources said that Mr Shah sought to send a strong message to the party MLAs that their report cards would be prepared based on the results of the LS elections and their political future would depend on it.