As Congress gets stronger in Chhattisgarh, BJP stares at bleak year ahead

Raipur: The coming year is going to be politically crucial for the BJP in Chhattisgarh as the Assembly elections in the state are to be held in 2023.

With Chhattisgarh emerging as the Congress stronghold, questions are being raised whether the BJP will be able to cause any damage to the grand old party in the state.

Considering the political situation in the state, it is clearly visible that the BJP's direct contest is not with the Congress but with the 'Chhattisgarhian' image of Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel.

Baghel has done a significant job of awakening the 'Chhattisgarhi' identity among the residents of the state. Every event, occasion and celebration has been linked to the identity of the state, and along with it, the state government has left no stone unturned in its attempt to strengthen the rural economy.

The BJP, which was in power in the state for one-and-a-half-decade, is well aware of the Congress' strength and this is the reason why it has made major changes in the state leadership. The saffron party has appointed Ajay Jamwal as regional general secretary (organisation), while Narayan Chandel has been entrusted with the post of Leader of Opposition. Apart from this, Arun Sao has been made state president and Om Mathur has been appointed as the state in-charge of the party.

The BJP, by reaching out to the people of the state, is not only enumerating the merits of the schemes of the Central government but is also highlighting the alleged irregularities committed during the tenure of the Bhupesh Baghel government.

The state of Chhattisgarh came into existence in 2000, and since then four assembly elections have been held here. The BJP won three of these elections, while the Congress won the fourth one. Now, the Congress is continuously getting stronger.

In 2018 Assembly elections, the Congress had won 68 out of 90 assembly seats. The grand old party further strengthened it base in the subsequent by-elections and presently, it has 71 MLAs, while the BJP has 14. Apart from this, the Janata Congress Chhattisgarh has three MLAs and the Bahujan Samaj Party has two.

The mayor in all the 14 municipal corporations of the state belongs to the Congress.

BJP media department chief Amit Chimnani says that the departure of the Congress government is certain in the next elections as the Congress has not fulfilled the promises it made before coming to power. "Congress had promised to start a universal health scheme for free treatment up to Rs 20 lakh, but people did not get treatment even up to Rs 20 for free, the corruption is at its peak in the state and this government has become an ATM for the Gandhi family."

"Capital development is not the focus of this government. Law and order has completely collapsed, in proportion to the population, the graph of crimes here is higher than Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Not only this, the economic condition of the state has worsened completely. The Bhupesh Baghel government has taken a loan of Rs 60,000 crore in four years, while the BJP government in its one-and-a-half-decade term had taken a loan of only Rs 30,000 crore," Chimmani adds.

On the other hand, Sushil Anand Shukla, the head of the media department of the Congress, claims that in the next elections, the Congress will set a new record and will get more seats than in 2018.

His argument behind this claim is that the Bhupesh Baghel government has "worked for the welfare of every section" of the state. "The farmers' loans have been waived off, they are getting fair price for their crops. The tribal class is getting fair prices for the forest produce, besides this the youth have got employment. This is the reason why the state's unemployment rate is among the lowest in the country."

"Along with this, there is also a favourable environment for industries. On the other hand, the position of the BJP is not hidden from anyone. It has changed its four state presidents, in-charges, and leader of the opposition," Shukla asserts.

Responding to the corruption charges levelled by the BJP on the state government, Shukla says that till now the BJP has not been able to make a single allegation of corruption against the Chief Minister and any of his ministers. "As far as ED and Income Tax department are concerned, it is not hidden from anyone how they (Central agencies) are working. BJP should also tell (the people) that who is Abhishek Singh whose name was surfaced in the AgustaWestland case," he adds.

Political analysts believe that the next election in the state will not be easy for the BJP as Baghel has taken several steps to strengthen the rural economy and has also worked to awaken the Chhattisgarhi identity among the people, besides the decline in Naxalite incidents in the state.

Apart from this, the BJP has "not been successful" in creating an atmosphere in its favour even at the ground level. If the BJP has anything, it is only the face of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the schemes of his government.