India Today – October 08, 2018

36 INDIA TODAY OCTOBER 8, 2018

ith assembly elections dueat the end

of the year, Madhya Pradesh seems

poisedforacontestthatcouldgo

down to the wire. Though plagued

by legacy issues, the Congress for the

first time in 15 years is in the fight.

OneindicationofthiscouldbeBJPleaderandstatesocial

welfare board chairperson Padma Shukla quitting the BJP

on September 24 and joining the Congress. It is a signifi-

cant loss for the BJP as Shukla is a leader from the Maha-

koshal region and someone who has her ear to the ground.

Yet Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan remains the

BJP’s greatest asset even after 14-odd years at the helm,

even if the same cannot be said of his ML As. One chal-

lenge for the party comes from the upper caste and back-

ward class anger over its support to the amendment to the

SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act this year. The upper

castes, especially in urban centres, have always voted the

BJP. So have a large chunk of the backward classes, some-

thing the party attributes to its choice of OBC CMs: Uma

Bharti, Babulal Gaur and Chouhan.

Besides opposition to the amendment to the SC/ST Act,

the backward classes and upper castes are also unhappy

over quotas in government jobs. The BJP is hoping that an

ambiguous policy—backward classes can avail of reser-

vation in jobs but not in promotions —will help it retain

backward class votes. As for the upper castes, the party

is confident of their support as it feels they have no other

option, like the Muslims have no choice but to vote the Con-

gress in MP. “Upper castes won’t go against the BJP,” says

former CM Gaur. “They are our voters, we’ll bow our heads

and placate them before the polls,” says public relations

minister Narottam Mishra. CM Chouhan did exactly that

in Balaghat, saying, “No case will be registered (under the

SC/ST Act) without an inquiry.” It prompted Congress MP

Kapil Sibal to retort: “Shivraj Singh Chouhan made a state-

ment. The law does not change by making statements.”

Corruption, which in the public perception is all-

pervasive in the government, is surprisingly not an issue

this election, with the Congress raising no stink over it. The

party is likewise not creating any brouhaha over unemploy-

ment. In the past 10 years, there has been a massive jump

in seats in engineering and professional courses, including

skill-based learning, with thousands of students getting

degrees but failing to find suitable jobs. “This is an unprec-

edented situation in the state where every group, be it the

youth, women, SCs, STs or farmers, feels cheated,” says state

Congress president Kamal Nath. But while recognising

the issue, Congress leaders have not capitalised on it. The

government, meanwhile, is trying to fast fill teacher and

police vacancies. Some 30,000 teachers are being recruited

this year, as our 15,000 constables.

ASSEMBLY POLLS |^ MADHYA PRADESH |

W

By Rahul Noronha

BATTLE

FOR THE

MIDDLE

SHIVRAJ SINGH CHOUHAN REMAINS A STRONG

CONTENDER EVEN AFTER 14 YEARS AT THE

HELM, BUT THE CONGRESS POSES A REAL

CHALLENGE FOR HIM

WAR CRY

The CM tries to rouse cadres on Sept. 25