Madhya Pradesh: Both BJP, Cong claim advantage from brisk polling

Bhopal: The voter’s role in the electoral process concluded on Thursday in Madhya Pradesh with the completion of the third phase of polling for ten seats spread over 20 districts in the Nimar and Malwa belt. Both BJP and the Congress claimed advantage from the brisk polling with nearly 64 percent voters turning out till the closing time of 6 pm. Unlike the previous phases the voter response was better in most constituencies despite rising temperatures. Most pollsters are keenly watching the Vidisha constituency where Sushma Swaraj, the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha is locked in stiff contest against Congress’ Laxman Singh. [caption id=“attachment_1487927” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational Image. Reuters [/caption] Swaraj’s cakewalk in 2009 election due to the Congress’ failure to field a candidate drew her back to Vidisha. The situation has dramatically changed now with even Chouhan failing to convince the voters. Chouhan had contested the assembly elections from Vidisha as part of spadework for Swaraj. His low margin of victory has dented her morale. The voting pattern in the assembly segments and the response of Muslim voters who turned out in fair numbers have cheered the Congress and added to the BJP’s worries. Chouhan’s prestige is at stake on this constituency. The BJP rank and file has not stood by Swaraj this time. The Malwa-Nimar belt once a Congress bastion, has warmed up to the BJP over the past 10 years. However, the region had accounted for six of the Congress’ 12 seats from the state. Though a fair majority of the 80 assembly segments had gone to the BJP in the November elections the Congress hopes for a turnaround as some of its strong contenders are in fray. Most BJP candidates on the other hand have leaned on Shivraj Singh Chouhan and prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi’s charisma. In Betul the constituency reserved for Scheduled Tribes, the Congress fielded Ajay Shah the brother of BJP minister Vijay Shah against the sitting MP Jyoti Dhurve, who has little to show by way of performance. Shahs are tribal rulers from the Makdai state of the region and can sway the vote at will. Whether the perceived Modi wave can see Dhurve through remains to be seen. Dhurve’s tribal status is also under dispute. The BJP has had to spend a lot of energy in ensuring that the Shah family doesn’t work against the party to help Ajay. Betul recorded over 55 percent voting by 5 pm. But both parties are claiming advantage from the turnout. The other tribal constituency Khargone has both BJP and Congress trying out new candidates. The BJP has dropped its sitting MP Makan Singh Solanki in favour of Subhash Patel. His rival Ramesh Patel of the Congress MLA from Barwani has an edge due to his popularity in the region. Subhash Patel depends on Modi wave. In yet another tribal constituency of Dhar the BJP has gained strength over the past ten years. The Congress candidate Umang Singhar faces another green horn politician BJP’s Savitri Thakur. It’s Dr Hemlata Dhand, the AAP candidate, who holds the key here. She is daughter of late Yamuna Devi, former leader of opposition in the MP assembly and claimant to her political legacy against her cousin Umang. The state Congress president Arun Yadav who was appointed to the post just after the assembly elections is fighting a tough battle against Nand Kumar Singh Chouhan. The state urban development minister Kailash Vijayvargiya, who is credited with Chouhan’s electoral success, already has his hands full with the task of ensuring Sumitra Mahajan’s victory in Indore. The presence of Alok Agrawal, the AAP candidate who is backed by the strong Narmada Bachao Andolan can affect both the Congress and the BJP. Khandwa also had a good voter response with more than 64 percent turning up. The other heavyweight in the fray in this phase is Kantilal Bhuria former Union minister and PCC chief. Bhuria who never lost an election in 32 years is facing Dilip Singh Bhuria from Jhabua-Ratlam seat reserved for Scheduled Tribes. Dilip Singh who is close to Modi has another advantage of all eight assembly segments having rejected the Congress in the November elections. Meenakshi Natrajan, the young MP from Mandsaur, is involved in a triangular fight against the BJP’s Sudhir Gupta. The Aam Aadmi Party candidate, Paras Sakhlecha, provides the third angle to the contest. Paras enjoys considerable popularity can either take away the seat from the Congress or help it win by cutting into the BJP vote. Mandsaur recorded a heavy 64 percent polling this time.