Halfway through the election process that began a month ago, the two main rivals, the BJP and the Congress, as well as the voters in Madhya Pradesh are wondering if the much-hyped exercise has addressed the primary concerns of the people. Issues like corruption, unemployment, price spiral and social disparity have got buried under charges and counter-charges by both the parties.
While the Congress has spent much of its energy in proving the BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi a supercilious pretender for power, the BJP has remained preoccupied with anti-Congress rhetoric. The Congress which could have exploited crime and corruption in the state in its campaign seems to have failed to convince the voter.
The stakes are high for both parties. The BJP held all but two of the ten constituencies that went to the polls on Thursday. Growing temperatures haven’t affected the voters’ enthusiasm. While the first phase of polling a week ago saw the overall turnout touching 60 percent, the figures for the Thursday’s figures touched 54.41 percent.
While the BJP’s rallying slogan has been abki baar Modi sarkar the Congress has failed to catch the fancy of supporters with anything of lasting retention value. The BJP is by far the front-runner on this count. It walked away with a huge advantage in assembly elections. If the Congress hopes to turn the tide it would be because of the battle within the BJP.
The Modi wave has changed the mood among the party’s candidates. Factional rivalry is, however, reflected in the candidates’ action. They are no longer keen to get the old guard to campaign for them. More so if they are not favourably disposed towards Modi. Most election rallies of senior leaders like lK Advani, Kailash Joshi and Sunderal Patwa in the state have been cancelled. They were rarely seen on dais at any party rallies.
The BJP has also defied the mood within the party in selecting candidates for Sagar, Bhopal, Rajgarh, Khajuraho, Morena, Bhind and Damoh which went to the polls in the second phase. The results here would test the claims about Modi wave. Modi himself had to cut down the number of his rallies in Madhya Pradesh. Chouhan has pitched in for him in most constituencies. He has by far been the most popular campaigner in the state. The Congress, on the other hand, has few stars lighting up the campaign trail. Rahul and Sonia Gandhi had just four to five rallies each.