Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh have made history by winning 39 out of a total of 40 Lok Sabha seats. BJP secured victories on 39 seats, winning all 29 seats in Madhya Pradesh and 10 out of 11 seats in Chhattisgarh, leaving Congress with just one seat in Chhattisgarh. The success of BJP is attributed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s name, work, and image, as well as the skilled strategy and ground-level activism of the party workers.
Journey from Assembly to Lok Sabha
In the 2018 Assembly elections, both states slipped from the grip of BJP, but in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, BJP secured victories on 28 out of 29 seats in Madhya Pradesh and 9 out of 11 seats in Chhattisgarh. Congress had won only one seat each in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
This time, BJP entered the fray with the resolve to win all seats in both states, starting its preparation right after the completion of the Assembly elections. BJP’s vote share also increased in both states along with the number of seats.
BJP’s Strategy
There are four main reasons behind BJP’s landslide victory:
- National strategy and the charisma of PM Modi: BJP fought the elections by presenting Prime Minister Modi’s policies and resolutions before the entire nation.
- Counter to misleading propaganda: The state organization kept the voters vigilant against the opposition’s misleading propaganda. BJP’s organization had a team ready to counter issues like constitutional crisis and ending reservations, which were raised by the opposition.
- Engagement with direct voters: BJP workers remained connected with the voters directly, preventing any confusion among them.
- Dissatisfaction within Congress: BJP actively worked to bring those leaving Congress into its fold, creating turmoil within Congress, which ultimately benefited BJP.
Vote Share
BJP received 58.5% of the votes in Madhya Pradesh in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, which increased to 59.5% this time. In comparison, Congress received 2.6% fewer votes than in 2019. Congress received 34.8% of the votes last time, which decreased to 32.19% this time.
Major Victories and Margins
Indore: BJP candidate Shankar Lalwani achieved the distinction of winning with the highest margin of votes in the country. Lalwani received 1,226,751 votes, while the nearest BSP candidate received only 516,590 votes. Lalwani won with a margin of 1,175,092 votes, which is a record in itself considering the preference of 2,186,674 voters on this seat.
Vidisha: Shivraj Singh Chouhan received 1,116,460 votes, while his closest rival, Congress’s Bhanu Pratap Singh, received 295,520 votes. Shivraj won this seat with a margin of 821,408 votes, which is the third-largest margin in the country.
Defeat of Congress Veterans
The Modi wave since 2014 has resulted in a decrease in both seats and vote percentage for Congress in Madhya Pradesh. This time, Congress stalwarts like Digvijaya Singh, Nakul Nath (son of former Chief Minister Kamal Nath), and Kantilal Bhuria faced defeat.
Rajgarh: Digvijaya Singh was defeated by BJP’s ordinary worker Rodmal Nagar by 186,000 votes.
Jhabua: Anita Nagar Singh defeated Kantilal Bhuria by 207,000 votes.
Chhindwara: BJP’s Banti Sahu defeated Nakul Nath by nearly 113,000 votes.
Journey of Victory in Chhattisgarh
Voters remained silent in Chhattisgarh, but the voter turnout surprised everyone. For the first time in the state, there was a maximum of 72.8% voter turnout, which is 1.31% higher than the last time. Wherever Prime Minister Modi held rallies in the ten Lok Sabha constituencies, BJP emerged victorious.
Election Campaign and New Strategy
Impact of PM Modi’s rallies: Congress had won in all eight Assembly seats of the Janjgir Lok Sabha constituency a few months ago, but the magic of Prime Minister Modi’s rally worked here, leading to BJP’s victory.
Effect of Rahul Gandhi’s rallies: Rahul Gandhi held rallies in Bastar and Bilaspur, but Congress lost in both places. Rallies by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Mallikarjun Kharge, and Bhupesh Baghel also did not have any significant impact.
Performance of New Candidates
In both Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, BJP fielded new candidates on most seats. This included Mahesh Kashyap from Bastar, Rupkumari Choudhary from Mahasamund, and Chintamani Maharaj from Saruguja, who joined BJP from Congress. The party fielded Radheshyam Rathia against Raj Parivar’s Menaka Singh and Kamlesh Jangde against Jangheer.
Conclusion
The historic victory of BJP in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh is a result of the party’s skilled strategy, Prime Minister Modi’s charisma, and the grassroots activism of its workers. The defeat of Congress veterans and the decrease in the vote percentage have clearly shown that BJP has earned the trust of voters through its plans and policies. These results indicate a bright future for BJP in both states, while Congress needs to rethink its strategies.