Chhattisgarh: Spooked BJP wants 'introspection' in tribal belts

Raipur: Stung by a dismal show in the tribal regions of Chhattisgarh in the recently concluded Assembly polls, BJP leaders have asked for an “introspection” to consolidate the party’s prospects in these areas ahead of the 2014 general elections. Though it managed to return to power, it got the cold shoulder from voters in tribal dominated areas. Prominent BJP ministers - Nankiram Kanwar, Ramvichar Netam and Lata Usendi - and several sitting MLAs tasted defeat in the elections from tribal areas, where the party had an overwhelming backing till recently. [caption id=“attachment_1285281” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  People queuing up to vote in Bastar: PTI[/caption] Of the 29 scheduled tribe (ST) reserved seats, the Congress won 18, with just 11 won by the ruling party. Surprised by the results, BJP MLA Mahesh Gagda told PTI it was a matter of concern that its tribal leaders have lost. Gagda, a second time MLA, retained his Bijapur (ST) seat from the Bastar region defeating Vikram Mandavi (Cong) by 9,487 votes. But senior tribal leader and state Home minister Nankiram Kanwar lost the Rampur (ST) seat of Korba district to Shyamlal Kawar of Congress by 9,915 votes. Nankiram, a veteran in electoral politics having contested his first polls in 1972, became an MLA in the undivided Madhya Pradesh in 1977, but he lost the three subsequent polls to Congress veteran Pyarelal Kanwar. He won again in 1990, but lost in the 1993 polls to his traditional Congress rival from the same constituency. Another tribal bigwig and higher education minister, Ramvichar Netam lost his traditional Ramanujganj seat to Brihspat Singh of Congress by 11,592 votes. Netam’s electoral debut was made in 1990 from North Chhattisgarh, from he won all the elections since then. Featuring in Raman Singh’s ministry during his last two tenures, Netam was first elected from Pal in the Sarguja region. When Pal constituency became non-existent after delimitation, he won from the Ramanujganj constituency. Two-time MLA Lata Usendi, who was the sole woman minister in the previous BJP rule, lost to Mohan Markam of Congress from Kondagaon seat by 5,135 votes. The BJP shockingly lost 8 out of 12 seats in the Bastar region, which is a Naxal hotbed. Though the BJP tried to encash the personal popularity of Chief Minister Raman Singh and his welfare schemes, there was resentment against many of its legislators owing to which the ST voters largely drifted towards the main Opposition, sources said. PTI