Madhya Pradesh elections 2023: BJP banks on Modi magic, Chouhan's welfare plans

Madhya Pradesh elections 2023: The BJP will decide on the chief minister's post only after the elections.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on November 8, visited the poll-bound Madhya Pradesh.

After addressing a meeting in Damoh, the prime minister will be holding rallies in Guna and Morena in the Gwalior-Chambal region, which is considered to be the bastion of Jyotiraditya Scindia.

Elections to the 230-member Madhya Pradesh assembly will be held on November 17, with the BJP led by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan facing a stiff challenge from the Congress veteran Kamal Nath.

With the electoral theme “Modi Ke Mann Mein MP” (MP close to Modi’s heart) and the slogan “Phir Is Baar BJP Sarkar” (BJP government once more), the party is all set to ramp up its campaigning with Modi as the mascot.

“The election will be fought under the leadership of Narendra Modi and the work done by the Union and state governments. The PM is the most popular leader, so he automatically becomes the choice for leading the campaign,” a BJP insider told The Federal. Also, reports suggest that making PM the face of the poll campaign may ensure continuity with the voters ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

Catch Live updates of Assembly polls 2023 here.

It is also being said BJP is apprehensive about naming Chouhan as its chief minister since there is a “fatigue factor” for him as he has been holding the office for over a decade.

"The BJP will decide on the chief minister's post only after the elections," Union Home Minister Amit Shah had earlier said.

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A CNBCTV18 report also stated that naming a chief minister face would have created factionalism as there are many aspirants in the queue. For the assembly polls, the BJP is relying on the charisma of Modi and the mass appeal of Chouhan.

Party’s strength

Various welfare schemes, such as the “Ladli Bahna Yojana”, by Chouhan, which provides financial assistance to eligible women, may help the BJP clinch victory. Chouhan is known for launching different welfare schemes, including rice at Re 1 for each kg for the poor, the Sambal scheme that provided maternity support to women workers, and free education for poverty-stricken girls, among others.

These welfare plans by are credited for the BJP's electoral win in 2008 and 2013 assembly elections. The party is banking on the appeal of Hindutva, development, and the promise of "double engine" growth. By fielding some of its MPs and Union ministers hailing from the state, the BJP hopes to garner mass appeal. It is also banking on its national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya who is known to be a “crowd-puller”.

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BJP fielded three Union ministers – Narendra Singh Tomar, Faggan Singh Kulaste, and Prahlad Patel – and four Lok Sabha MPs – Rakesh Singh, Ganesh Singh, Riti Pathak, and Uday Pratap Singh, with the hope that it will send out a message of a collective leadership contesting the polls.

If Congress, AAP, and Samajwadi Party contest separately, it could benefit the BJP. Traditionally, SP, BSP, and other parties, except Congress, have been marginal players in Madhya Pradesh politics.