Madhya Pradesh polls: Why PM Modi, not CM Chouhan, is BJP's face

At the helm in Madhya Pradesh for almost two decades now, the ruling BJP has refrained from declaring its chief ministerial candidate for the first time since 2008, while making it amply clear that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the face of the party’s campaign in the state going to polls on November 17.

This has put a question mark on the political future of the state’s longest-serving Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan who was the BJP’s most dependable mascot in the last three assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh. Chouhan mixed welfare schemes and Hindutva in equal measures to strengthen the party in the state, but now even his own partymen say there is fatigue. The fact that the BJP is banking on PM Modi’s charisma and mass appeal is evident from its campaign. It’s ‘Brand Modi’ all the way, right from the billboards to the jingles.

According to party sources, the BJP had twin objectives in mind while making the prime minister the face of its election campaign – to beat the anti-incumbency and ensure continuity in engagement with the voters for the Lok Sabha elections, which are only a few months from now. It reflects in the theme of the party’s campaign --- “MP ke mann main Modi; Modi ke mann main MP (Modi is in MP’s mind; MP is in Modi’s mind)”.

Collective leadership

Though Chouhan undoubtedly is the BJP’s best-known face in the state, having ruled the state for most of the BJP’s rule, the party has decided to follow the collective leadership formula for the election. This is best captured in the election’s publicity material in which Modi is the focus, and Chouhan is only one among the 10 state leaders. It also became evident when PM Modi wrote a letter to the voters of Madhya Pradesh a couple of weeks ago, seeking their support for the BJP. The letter had Modi’s picture at the centre while Chouhan and other state leaders were on either sides.

Similarly, behind the BJP’s strategy to field big guns in the state assembly elections has been to focus on different regions in the state. This is the reason it has brought in leaders like Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar for the Gwalior-Chambal region, BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya for the Malwa-Nimar region, Union ministers Prahlad Singh Patel and Faggan Singh Kulaste for the Mahakaushal region. This has fuelled speculations about other chief ministerial candidates of the BJP.

Chouhan’s relegation is there for everyone to see in the BJP campaign, be it the Jan Ashirwad Yatras or Prime Minister Modi’s election rallies. The overarching presence of Modi on the BJP’s billboards and jingles clearly underlines the fact that the BJP is trying hard to overcome anti-incumbency and voter fatigue after ruling the state for almost 20 years now, except for the 15-month stint of the Kamal Nath-led Congress government. Interestingly, Modi also avoided any mention of Chouhan in almost all the rallies that he has addressed in the state till now. He instead chose to speak about the achievements of his government and alleged failures of the Congress governments in the past.

Not giving up

However, much to the chagrin of the party high command, Chouhan has been showing no signs of fading away from the electoral arena. He has rolled out a slew of schemes ahead of the polls. In the last six months, he has left no stone unturned to woo voters, announcing major schemes worth ₹21,675 crore, development projects of over ₹2.53 lakh crore and fulfilling many promises including development of new districts, tehsil, municipal council and others.

He also seems undeterred in his self-assessment about how his stint transformed once-BIMARU Madhya Pradesh into one of the most developed states in India. He also looks unfazed about the increasing debt burden on the state, repeatedly claiming that there’s no dearth of money for development of the state.

Aware of the rising anti-incumbency and voter fatigue, Chouhan also resorted to an image makeover with his aggressive avatar that could be seen in his body language. Unlike his moderate stance in the past, he tried to adopt a hardline approach and emulate his Uttar Pradesh counterpart Yogi Adityanath when it comes to matters concerning Hindutva. He also attempted to consolidate his support among the women voters by unveiling measures like Ladli Behna Scheme, facilitating financial aid to them every month.

Besides, the chief minister has been giving conflicting signals regarding his political future. “You will miss me if I’m gone,” he told a public rally in his assembly constituency, Budhni. Similarly, in another public meeting, he asked the people whether he should become the chief minister again.

Edge for Congress

On the other hand, the Congress is cashing in on the apparent rift between the chief minister and the central leadership. The fact that the leadership issue is almost settled in the Congress with PCC chief Kamal Nath as its face gives the party an edge in the electoral race.

The BJP’s move to field seven MPs, including three Union ministers, has already given ammunition to the Congress to target its main rival in the electoral arena. The Congress has already embraced ‘soft Hindutva’ to counter the BJP on the issue. Similarly, the BJP has followed the footsteps of the Congress in terms of announcing freebies. It is virtually raining sops for the voters in Madhya Pradesh with both the parties competing with each other to woo the electorate. For instance, the Congress had announced monthly financial aid and subsidised LPG cylinders for women, but the BJP has already taken the lead by rolling out both schemes, months ahead of elections.

Now, the Congress is upping the ante on the issue of caste census and reservation for OBCs within 33 percent quota for women as provided in the women's reservation bill.