CLOSE ENCOUNTER IN C'GARH - PART III

CHHATTISGARH POLLS 2013: OTHER ISSUES

In the early days of the campaign, the BJP appeared confident that anti-incumbency was not a matter and that it will ride to power for a consecutive third term. Luckily for the party, most of its ministers in the state have stayed away from controversies, unlike in Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka. Also, the welfare schemes undertaken by the Raman Singh government are expected to work in the saffron outfit's favor. However, with the battle heating up, it seems that winning again will be a uphill task. After all, if you have held the reins of government for such long, there will be people who will feel let down. While the BJP may find it difficult to convince the electorate, the dismal performance of the UPA II government at the Centre will prevent the INC from deriving full mileage of this situation. Price Rise and the innumerable corruption scandals that have rattled the Manmohan regime in its second term have tarnished the party's image in all the five poll bound states.

With Chhattisgarh seeing a direct fight between the BJP and the Congress and the General Elections just six months away, the top guns of the two parties have come to different parts of the state for canvassing. The BJP's PM nominee Narendra Modi addressed three rallies in the Bastar reigion which went to the polls on 12 November, a week ahead of the rest of the state. On Novemeber 15, he held four more rallies in Chhattisgarh and it was during one of these that he made the infamous 'Khooni Panja' remark which has irked the Election Commission. Meanwhile, the Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi has attacked the state government for failing to alleviate poverty while speaking to the masses. Probably realizing that Rahul was making a mockery of himself and the Congress party in his speeches, the ailing Sonia Gandhi who is still the trump card of the INC too has jumped into the fray. She was present at rallies in several places including Bhilai, Ambikapur, Kota and Durgapur.

In a state that has been infested by Naxalites, it is not surprising that the it is a big issue on which the people are expected to vote. The Darbha massacre which left 28 men dead, most of them belonging to the Congress, has raised several question marks over the administrative lapses of the Raman Singh government. In fact, very few know that the attack on the Congress cavalcade was in response to the the success that the security forces have had against armed extremists. In the last elections in 2008, the BJP adopted a tough stance on the issue whereas the Opposition seemed to be going soft on them. In the past, the Centre and the state government have traded charges over the failure to curb Maoists in the state. The 18 seats located in the Naxal infected region that went to the elections in the first phase might decide the overall winner. In 2008, the BJP's excellent show in the state was primarily because it stole the march over its arch rival in this part of the state. Reports coming from here indicate that the ruling outfit will find it extremely difficult to even come close to its last performance. The Maoists have called for a boycott of the state elections.

While the fight might be between the two national parties, several smaller players are expected to play spoilsports in many constituencies. In case of a hung assembly, they are expected to bargain hard by acting as 'Kingmakers'. The BSP won two seats in 2008 with both of these coming from the Janjgir-Champa region. This time again the party is hopeful of a good show from here. Several non-Congress and non-BJP parties have come together to form the 'Samyukta Morcha' ahead of the elections, which could be a precursor to the formation of a Third Front at the Centre. The constituents of this grand alliance include the CPI, the CPI(M), the JD(U), the Gondwana Ganatantra Party (GPP), the Loktantrik Samajwadi Party (LSP), the National People's Party (NPP), the Chhattisgarh Swabhiman Morcha (CSM) and the Chhattisgarh Mukti Morcha (CMM). The GPP is active in the Gondi speaking regions of the state. The CSM was floated the late Tarachand Sahu and is strong in Durg and Rajnandgaon.

For more on Chhattisgarh Assembly Elections 2013, click here (Link)

CLOSE ENCOUNTER IN C'GARH - PART II

CHHATTISGARH POLLS 2013: CAN THE CONGRESS STORM RAIPUR?

For the Congress which is warming the opposition benches in the Chhattisgarh legislative assembly for the last decade, the massacre of most of its top leadership in the state in the Darbha naxal attack on 25 May, 2013 was indeed a crushing blow. As a part of the Parivartan rally launched by the party to fight the Raman Singh government, about 200 Congressmen were on their way to Keshloor after addressing a rally in Sukhma. En route, their cavalcade was fired upon by hundreds of armed Maoists who had set up a trap for them. Nand Kumar Patel, the state party President and his son Dinesh were taken alive and later killed. Senior leader Vidya Charan Shukla who served as a cabinet minister on several occasions also died after being hit multiple times. However, the target for the armed Communists was Mahendra Karma, a former MLA and the founder of the controversial Salva Jadum - an organization of tribals formed to fight the Maoist which was disbanded later by an order of the Supreme Court. Other leaders who died in this unfortunate encounter include Uday Mudaliyar and Gopal Madhavan.

Though the incident was a big blow for the Congress, this has not stopped the party from drawing political mileage out of the situation. In a bid to gain sympathy votes, tickets have been allocated to the kin of many of the slain men. Devati Karma - the wife of Mahendra Karma, popularly known as the 'Tiger of Dantewada' has been given a party ticket from Dantewada seat. Similarly, Umesh Patel, the younger son of Nand Kumar Patel will be contesting from Kharasia. It should not be surprising if the Congress wins these two seats with a heavy margin. A master stroke of sorts from the Opposition camp is the nomination of Alka Mudliyar - the wife of Uday Mudliyar from Rajnandgaon against the incumbent CM Raman Singh. While the BJP is confident that their leader will win an easy victory from this constituency owing to the work he has done in the state in the last decade, the sympathy votes can swing the balance in the favor of the Congress. The rebellion by Vajpayee's niece Karuna Shukla has made the matters worse for the saffron outfit. The fact that the constituency has never re-elected its sitting MLA should be a reason enough for the BJP to take Alka seriously.

While it was expected that Patel would lead the INC's charge in the state, the incident has brought Ajit Jogi - the first CM of the Chhattisgarh, back into prominence. It seems that life has come a full circle for this Scheduled Caste leader. After the Congress lost power to the BJP in 2003, his name figured in a controversy which saw him being suspended from the party. It was alleged that he used Sonia Gandhi's name to break the BJP legislature in the state. However, following a deadly car incident which has left him wheel chair ridden for life, he was brought back into the party and given a ticket from Mahasamund which he won. He represented the Marwahi seat in the last assembly polls. In fact, Jogi was supposed to travel with other party leaders on that fateful day in May when the Darbha attack took place. Luckily for him, he took the chopper and was saved. With the death of most of his prominent peers, Ajit Jogi has become the face of the Congress campaign in Chhattisgarh.

The elevation of Jogi has to some extent divided the INC camp. On one hand, Jogi has the backing of the Scheduled Caste, especially the Satnamis. With the reservations for Scheduled Castes reduced from 16 to 12 percent, they are angry with the incumbent government and the Congress is trying to cash in on it. Also since he is a practicing Christian, he is expected to get the support of Church in areas where it has considerable influence. However, naming him for the top post has its share of cons too. On various occasions, his name has figured in several scandals, the most famous being the allegation that he had procured a fake caste certificate in his early days. In fact, there is a certain section of the party that feels that he has a hand to play in the Naxal attack. They say that he may have given details of the movement of the Congress entourage to the Maoists. Nonetheless, he has managed to get over 40 seats for his followers all across the state. In about 15 constituencies where his suggestions were ignored, he is said to have fielded independents to assert his influence here. Meanwhile, his wife Renu Jogi has filed her papers from Kota whereas his son Amit Jogi will contest from Marwahi on a Congress ticket.

For more on Chhattisgarh Assembly Elections 2013, click here (Link)

CLOSE ENCOUNTER IN C'GARH - PART I

CHHATTISGARH 2013: WILL SINGH BE THE KING?

Courtesy: India TV News

Of the five states that go to the polls at the fag end of the year, the contest in Chhattisgarh is expected to be the closest. The events that have happened here in the last few months just surprises me. About six months back, the odds were in favor of the BJP; it was expected that Raman Singh's clean image and the schemes implemented under his tenure of 10 years would help his party cross the half way mark with ease. However, the unfortunate incident in Dharba which wiped off the entire local party leadership seems to have charged the Congress camp. Recent reports coming out of Raipur suggest a neck to neck contest for most of the 90 seats in the legislature. Like in all of the poll bound states in the heartland, the two national parties are trying their best to garner support, aware that a good show will also reflect in the Lok Sabha 2014.

A doctor in Ayurvedic medicine, Dr Raman Singh commands immense respect in political circles as he is one of the few leaders to have come from the grassroots. Once a municipal councilor from Kawardha, he progressed to become the Union Minister for Commerce and Industry in the Vajpayee cabinet. His big moment, though came in 2003 when the BJP came to power in the first elections held in the newly created state. As the party's CM candidature Dilip Singh Judeo was caught on camera, allegedly accepting a bribe, Raman who was the BJP state president back then was chosen for the top job. Ever since, he has not looked back. Sticking to the development card, he won a second consecutive term in the 2008 polls. Like his counterpart in Madhya Pradesh and much unlike another Dr Singh who heads the country, Raman is extremely popular amongst the electorate, owing to his clean image. In contrast to other BJP leaders, the secular credentials of the incumbent CM have never been an issue of debate. In fact, of all present CMs of the saffron party, Dr Singh is the second longest serving, behind Narendra Modi.

Amongst the various schemes launched during his tenure, the most well known is the reformed Public Distribution Scheme (PDS). Under this, rice is given at a nominal rate of Rs 2 per kg for BPL families. With the aid of technology, the Chhattisgarh regime has made sure that the poor can avail the benefits of this programme. Firstly, the government has provided chip enabled ration cards which when swiped, can tell the details of the family including its income range and the stock that they are entitled to. Besides computerizing kirana shops, the government has also put in stringent measures while selecting PDS dealership. GPS enabled vehicles are used to transport grains to these shops and several steps are put into place to ensure that the public can spot and report malpractices. The whole process is monitored by a central server. The success of the Chhattisgarh system has won praises by both civil society and some members of the Opposition. This scheme has earned Singh a new name - that of 'Chawal wale baba'.

However, in the run up to the polls, cracks have emerged in the saffron camp. In a bid to curtail losses due to anti-incumbency, the party had dropped 13 MLAs while giving ticket to 25 fresh faces. As such, it is not so surprising that disgrunted members have either jumped on to the Congress bandwagon or have entered the fray as independents. Leading this is Karuna Shukla, the niece of former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee who quit the party after being denied a nomination. After resigning from the BJP, she is canvassing for Alka Mudliyar who is the Congress nominee from Rajnandgaon - the CM's constituency. Five time legislator and former minister Ganesh Ram Bhagat has filed his nomination as an independent from Jashpur. Rajya Sabha MP Nand Kumar Sai has been an open critic of the Singh government. Considering that even a small margin swing can decide the final outcome of the results in a state like Chhattisgarh, internal fued can deny Singh a third term.

For more on Chhattisgarh Assembly Elections 2013, click here (Link)