EC blows poll bugle; BJP goes for ‘all hands-on deck’ amid grim assessment
Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan
By Manish Anand
New Delhi, October 9: On a day the Election Commission announced poll dates for five states – Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, and Mizoram, the Bharatiya Janata Party unveiled list of candidates with visible approach that the saffron outfit wants all hands-on deck to withstand the challenge of the Opposition unity, particularly the Congress.
After keeping Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan amid intense speculation about his political career, the BJP in the fourth list of the party for the state fielded him from his traditional Budhni Assembly seat in the Sehore district. The BJP has also fielded former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh from his traditional Rajnandgaon Assembly seat. The BJP has, however, not yet announced the nomination of former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje.
The BJP list of Rajasthan has seven Lok Sabha MPs, including former Union Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore. The BJP has sent out a message that the party is flexible to accommodate the regional satraps even while the party leaders maintain that their nominations doesn’t mean that they would be the CM faces in their respective states.
The Election Commission has set December 3 date for the states’ poll verdict. Telangana will go to poll on November 30, while Mizoram will be the first state to hit poll button on November 3.
Chouhan’s nomination from Budhni Assembly seat has seemingly come amid assessment in the party that his not contesting the poll would have caused a greater damage to the prospects of the saffron outfit. Speculation is also rife that Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia may also contest Assembly elections. The BJP has already fielded three Union Ministers – Narendra Singh Tomar, Faggan Singh Kulaste, and Pralhad Singh Patel. The BJP has also fielded a number of Lok Sabha MPs in the electoral fray.
By fielding Union Ministers in the election fray, the political observers have read the message that Chouhan can not automatically stake claim to helm the state if the BJP wins the election. The BJP is seen to be on the backfoot in Madhya Pradesh following Congress’ aggressive pitch for guarantees on the lines of Karnataka. The BJP is toiling hard to build campaign in Chhattisgarh, while Vasundhara Raje continues to maintain a low profile in Rajasthan.
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