Yesterday, Madhya Pradesh witnessed a tremendous voter turnout. The high voter turnout is indeed a positive sign for the Bharatiya Janata Party, as every time the increase in the voter turnout culminates into the victory of BJP. The state election commission in a press conference after the polling said that the state witnessed 74.6% of voter turnout. This is a record voter turnout in the history of Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly. Since voting was affected for approximately three hours earlier in the day, the commission further said that this percentage would rise as voters were lined up till 9 pm for voting at few polling booths.
Congress resorted to different tactics to gain power in the state but in reality elections in Madhya Pradesh have become Shivraj vs. Shivraj. The amount of works that Chouhan has done in past 13 years to raise the standard of living and for taking MP out of the ‘bimaru’ state is commendable.
Usually, high-turnout is considered as sign of anti-incumbency but since the Bharatiya Janata party has come into power, the dynamics seems to have changed. After the BJP assumed office in 2003 in MP, the voting percentage has only gone upwards and the party has always been benefited. Significantly, in the 2003 assembly elections, the percentage of voting was 67.35%. After that, in 2008 it was 69.28%, 72.13% in 2013 and now it is set to go beyond 75% in 2018.
In the state assembly elections of 1998, the voting percentage was 60.5% and Congess was voted in power. With increase of 7% in 2003 it reached to 67.25% and the Bharatiya Janata Party was brought into power and since then the BJP has continuously been winning in the state.
The voting percentage of women was also be the deciding factor in the assembly election. Chouhan’s women centric schemes such as Ladli Laxmi Yojana, Mukhya Mantri kanya Vivah Yojana, Mukhyamantri Kalyani Sahayati Yojana etc. must add to the party’s kitty as far as women voters are concerned.
The policies of Shivraj Singh Chouhan got him second and third term consecutively. In fact, the number of seats won by the party increased in 2013 MP Assembly elections when compared to the 2008 elections. Madhya Pradesh government is known for caring its citizens from life to death with cash transfers for childbirth, marriage, and pilgrimage for senior citizens. Despite the 13 years rule of Chouhan, there has been no sign of anti-incumbency in the state. Lokniti-CSDS survey, the most entrusted electoral survey in the country found that 45 percent of MP Citizens feel that the current government should get another chance. Madhya Pradesh witnessed one of the highest agricultural growth rates in country and therefore, millions of people were lifted out of poverty. The industrial sector also performed well despite the limitations of human capital and industrial base. Indore and Bhopal became showcases of MP’s resurgent economy. The city of Indore has been ranked as the cleanest city in the country in last two years as per the Swachh Survekshan report published by urban development ministry.
A successful administrator is one who builds consensus. The leader having statesman’ calibre brings all stakeholders together on an issue irrespective of their alienations. Shivraj Singh Chouhan, three times CM of Madhya Pradesh is among such kind of political leaders in the country.
