Madhya Pradesh polls: For most, local issues trump national narratives

“National leaders are important in this election, but not national issues,” declares Suresh Tewari, who works at a book shop across the road. “People may talk about national issues but they prioritise local issues which impact them and the choice of candidate fielded from their constituency.”

Welfare schemes

In a state where two national parties – the BJP and the Congress – play a dominant role, leaving very little space for regional parties, Tewari’s views resonate with many others in the region.

Voters in Chhatarpur and Panna districts said that while there is chatter about the new Ram Mandir in Ayodhya in the BJP’s campaign and the Congress pushes for a national caste census and reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs), these national issues have limited appeal on the ground.

Instead, promises and campaigns around welfare schemes have found resonance. The BJP government’s Ladli Behna Yojana, a monthly financial assistance for underprivileged women, is popular, whereas the Congress’ promise of a farm loan waiver finds takers.

Voters said hyperlocal issues such as access to social schemes, implementation of development work, unemployment and food inflation are also significant.

At the polls on November 17, the BJP government led by Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the state’s longest-serving chief minister, will seek a fifth term, while the Nath-led Congress looks to give it a tough challenge.

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Local versus national

Gudiya Ahirwar, a farmer from Gandhigram village near Panna, said her vote will go to the candidate who is accessible to people from the rural areas.

“Access to clean drinking water, the state of the local roads and the drainage system are the real issues here. There is no recourse offered by local politicians,” said Ahirwar, a beneficiary of the Ladli Behna Yojana scheme.

Mangal Deen Raikwar, a labourer from Chhatarpur, echoes Ahirwar’s views. He said his village on the outskirts of the city does not have internal roads and the lack of regular employment opportunities is a critical issue.

Given the significance of jobs in the urban and rural areas, the BJP has promised that one person from every household will be given employment if it is voted back to power next month.

Paying attention to local issues, the Congress campaign has focused on allegations of corruption and the law-and-order situation to directly take on the Chouhan-led government.

Campaign template

National issues, especially the demand for a nationwide caste census by the Congress and increasing OBC reservation, have not figured as voter issues.

Dinesh Raikwar, who owns a photocopy store in Panna, said he favours a caste census and population-based reservation.

“However, that will be an issue for Lok Sabha elections next year. Why talk about a census which a union government will conduct in a state election? Right now, we care more about local development work, who our candidate is, and who is leading a party’s campaign,” he added.

In the past two assembly elections that the Congress won, it had centre-staged local issues to attract voters. In Himachal Pradesh last year, it spoke about the Agnipath soldier recruitment scheme and promised to bring back the Old Pension Scheme.

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In Karnataka earlier this year, its focus was on local corruption and irregularities in the recruitment of police sub-inspectors. It would be interesting to see if this campaign template will work for the party in Madhya Pradesh.

“Local issues are important, especially in rural areas, where facilities are not so good. What they gain in their everyday life from an election is very important to them,” said Anupma Kaushik, head of the political science department at Sagar University. “Urban voters, after they have access to basic facilities, start thinking about national issues. However, local issues continue to remain important in state elections like these, along with caste and religious identities.”

Voters in the two districts added that they will also factor in the profile of the candidate and how the top leaders of both parties steer the campaign. In short, the personality fight continues to be a key issue in this election.

According to Kaushik, the difference lies in the way the parties approach the matter of who will lead their campaign. She added that while the BJP has pitched its central leadership (Modi), the Congress has gone with a local face (Nath) because its national leadership does not have a larger appeal in the state.

Apart from the campaign led by Nath, top leaders of the Congress have hit the trail, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge and general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

As India’s second-largest state, Madhya Pradesh is significant to the electoral calculations of both the Congress and the BJP, especially given that Lok Sabha elections are due in less than six months.