Still reeling from an unexpected exodus of tribal voters in the 2024 general elections, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Madhya Pradesh is leaving no stone unturned as it tries to regain its foothold in the tribal belt.
In an attempt to woo community voters, the Mohan Yadav government convened the State Cabinet meeting at Singrampur in Damoh district on Saturday and described it as an honour to Rani Durgawati who was a symbol of patriotism and women empowerment.
She ruled the tribal kindom of Gondwana from 1500-1564 AD. In the last assembly elections in 2023, the BJP had emerged victorious in 27 of the total 47 tribal dominated seats in the State. However, in the Lok Sabha elections of 2024, the situation was entirely different as the BJP lost around 4 percent in popularity among community voters.
The tribal community constitute around 22 percent of the population in Madhya Pradesh and this sizeable chunk of votes affects as many as 83 of the total 230 assembly segments.
The tribals had remained traditional Congress voters, but sustained BJP efforts eventually proved fruitful in 2003, when the party swept to power in 37 of the 41 tribal seats.
Many attribute this shift in the mood of the community to a Hindu convention organized by the BJP and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) at Jhabua in 2002. However, in the subsequent elections, the BJP could not continue to hold the tribal votes completely. In 2008, the BJP won 31 out of 47 seats and in 2023 elections, the BJP could only get only 27.
The slide continued with the saffron party registering a 4 percent decline in popularity in the Lok Sabha elections of 2024.Taking a serious note of the situation, the BJP had convened a cabinet meeting in Jabalpur in January 2024, and announced several initiatives for the welfare of tribals, and announced the institution of state-level awards in the name of Rani Durgavati and Rani Avanti Bai Lodhi.
It was also decided to establish 194 anganwadis with an estimated cost of Rs 15 crore in tribal areas. While talking to ‘The Pioneer’ Madhya Pradesh Congress media in-charge Mukesh Nayak said that the BJP government is concentrating more on beneficiary-based schemes and this would completely damage the infrastructure of the State.
The present government is distributing sops to reap political gains. With assembly bypolls in Vijaypur and Budhni looming in the background, it remains to be seen if tribal voters are moved by the efforts of the state government.
