Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh polls today; tight contest between BJP, Congress
The second leg of the five-state assembly elections resumed on Friday, with Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh (MP) going to the polls. Both states are witnessing a fierce battle between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress, each incumbent in one of the two states. Madhya Pradesh is conducting elections in a single phase for all 230 seats, while Chhattisgarh's second of its two-phase elections will cover the remaining 70 out of 90 constituencies.
Why does this story matter?
The Congress is hoping to retain Chhattisgarh and wrest MP back from the BJP. Meanwhile, the BJP, which ruled Chhattisgarh and MP from 2003 to 2018, is striving to extend its run in MP and unseat the Congress in Chhattisgarh. In the 2018 assembly elections, the Congress had a resounding victory in Chhattisgarh but just nosed ahead of the BJP in MP. The BJP toppled the Congress-led MP government within 15 months after Jyotiraditya Scindia and his loyalists jumped ship.
High-decibel campaigning in Chhattisgarh, MP
Intense campaigning took place in Chhattisgarh and MP by both the BJP and Congress. Key figures from the BJP included Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union ministers Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh, and BJP president JP Nadda. The Congress's star campaigners were party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. The BJP is mostly relying on PM Modi's charm, while the Congress is banking on promises of loan waivers and caste survey.
Chhattisgarh witnessing Modi versus Baghel battle
In MP, CM Chouhan went all out to win with promises of employment to every family. PM Modi held four rallies in Chhattisgarh targeting CM Bhupesh Baghel over alleged corruption in the Mahadev betting app case, religious conversion, and Naxalism. The Congress accused the BJP of handing over resources to its industrialist friends. Soon after coming to power, Baghel waived off Rs. 9,000 crore of 18 lakh farmers in the state, which is likely to work in his favor.
Fissures in the INDIA bloc as SP, AAP slam Congress
Meanwhile, the MP elections have revealed rifts within the opposition's Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), led by the Congress, against the BJP-ruled Centre. Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav claimed that the grand old party broke its promise by not allocating six seats to his party, which is contesting 71 seats. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has also fielded candidates in both states after failing to secure a pre-poll alliance.
Here are the election numbers
As many as 1.63 crore voters in Chhattisgarh's second phase and 5.6 crore voters in MP will determine the fates of 958 and 2,533 candidates, respectively. In the first phase of polling in the Naxal-affected region, Chhattisgarh saw over 75% voter turnout. Mizoram also went to polls on November 7, while elections in Rajasthan and Telangana will be held on November 23 and November 30 respectively. The votes in all five states will be counted on December 3.
