BJP eyeing big support from tribals with new PESA Act in Madhya Pradesh

Prior to the Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh next year, the Congress and the BJP are trying their best to gain support from the tribals, who account for 21.1 per cent of the state’s population. Out of 230 seats, 47 are reserved for tribals in the state. In 2018, the saffron party had only won 16 seats, against 31 in 2013, while the Congress had won 30 in 2018, against 15 in 2013. The BJP-led Madhya Pradesh government, however, seems to be pulling ahead of the grand-old party with its latest implementation of the Panchayats Extension to Scheduled Areas (PESA) Act, 1996 in presence of the country’s first tribal president, Droupadi Murmu. The Act aims to preserve the tribal population from exploitation with the active involvement of the village councils or Gram Sabhas. Last year, the state also had Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah visiting Bhopal and Jabalpur respectively last year. PM Modi marked the tribal culture day by renaming Habibganj railway station after Rani Kamlapati who was the last Gond queen. While Amit Shah announced a museum to Gond freedom fighters- Raghunath Shah and his son Shankar Shah. The grand old party, Congress continues to thrive hard with party leader Rahul Gandhi visiting the birthplace of tribal icon Tantya Bheel in Nimar as a part of his ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ that enters Madhya Pradesh on Sunday. He will address a public meeting and will try to mobilize 50,000 people from the three tribal-dominated assembly seats of Nimar. The assembly elections in the state are scheduled for the end of 2023. Read all the Latest News , Trending News ,  Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.