BJP Tightens Grip, Leaving Congress Breathless in Madhya Pradesh

In addition to easily winning all 29 Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also took over Kamal Nath’s stronghold of Chhindwara, which had eluded the ruling party for decades. Kamal Nath is a senior Congress leader and former chief minister.

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The BJP’s overwhelming majority of 163 seats in the 2023 assembly elections was a huge boost to the party’s political prospects in the state.

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Mass Defections and Ram Mandir Boycott Narrative Strain Congress Under Jitu Patwari’s Leadership

As it continued to bring thousands of leaders into its fold and stitch together the story of the opposition party boycotting the Ram Mandir consecration ceremony—a move many Congress leaders saw as disastrous given the state’s preponderance of socially conservative voters—the BJP did not give the Congress, now led by state president Jitu Patwari, any breathing room.

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Congress Acknowledges Challenges in Defeat, BJP Leverages Tribal Identity Politics for Victory

Congress President Jitu Patwari said in response to the party’s loss, “It was natural that we would find it difficult to give a strong challenge (to the BJP).” Our goal is to strengthen our organization.

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The BJP didn’t hesitate to play the identity politics card, glorifying tribal idols and renaming significant infrastructure and universities after them, all while concentrating on using its welfare programmes to increase its hold on tribal seats.

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BJP’s Outreach Secures Tribal Seats, Congress Loses Stronghold in Chhindwara

The BJP won seats with a large tribal population, including Shahdol, Mandla, Balaghat, Chhindwara, and Betul, by margins of more than one lakh votes thanks to its extensive beneficiary outreach activities. One of the primary seats from which the Congress will suffer is Chhindwara, where Nakul Nath, the son of party stalwart Kamal Nath, lost to Bunty Vivek Sahu of the BJP by a margin of 1,13,618 votes.