Opinion | Is Chhattisgarh going to vote for change again?
2 min read . Updated: 22 Apr 2019, 12:02 AM ISTVoters have followed a trend of repeating the assembly preferences in national polls
As far as the number of parliamentary seats is concerned, with only 11 parliamentary seats, Chhattisgarh is not a huge state, but elections in Chhattisgarh have always been significant from a national perspective.
First, the state has been witnessing left-wing extremism for decades, and elections are generally held amid the Maoists calling for a boycott. But again and again the tribal voters have reposed their faith in parliamentary democracy as a means to bring change. Hence it’s the victory of parliamentary democracy and the spirit of the tribal voters that should be hailed in Chhattisgarh, above all.
Second, it’s a state located in the central tribal belt of India and is dominated by 32% of tribal population. During the recently held assembly elections in three states, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, tribal voters backed the Congress. Hence, it would be interesting to see the pattern of tribal voters in national elections.
Third, after the formation of the state, governments opted for an industry-based model of economic development, shifting away from the forest- and agriculture-based traditional model. During the last 19 years, Chhattisgarh has witnessed strong opposition as well as support for this model. To help cope with this transition when livelihood options were undergoing a drastic change, the government rolled out welfare schemes as ‘safety net’—like ₹1 per kg of rice —and such schemes played a significant role in deciding election results in the state. During the recent assembly elections too, loan waiver to farmers is considered an important factor in the massive victory of the Congress. Hence welfare policies and programmes have been an important factor in deciding the fate of political parties in Chhattisgarh.
Fourth, caste has its visibility in Chhattisgarh but it has not been the most dominant factor in politics. Hence, public policies, good governance, national issues and the image of national leaders of major political parties are equally important factors in deciding voting behaviour in Chhattisgarh.
Fifth, since its formation the voter of Chhattisgarh has been following a trend of repeating the assembly preferences in the national elections. This time it would be interesting to see if the same trend continues.
Sixth, in Chhattisgarh, women enjoy a better position in society compared to other states, especially in the Hindi belt. The turnout of women voters too has been nearly equal to their male counterparts. In last year’s assembly elections, total women winners have been 13—one of the highest percentages of women in an assembly. This time, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress party each have given tickets to two women candidates and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has given three tickets to women.
Finally, it would be interesting to see if voters in Chhattisgath that voted for change and for welfare policies, reflect the same feelings or whether a national level election prompts them to change their preferences.
Anupama Saxena is a professor the department of political science at the Guru Ghasidas Central University, Bilaspur.