Bypolls do take place in Madhya Pradesh much like other states from time to time. But this time the stakes are very high as these nearly two dozen by-elections will decide who will rule the central Indian state for close to the next three years.
These assembly by-elections, till now 27 but could be 28 shortly as Congress MLA Govardhan Dangi died of Covid-19 on Tuesday, are witnessing all kinds of issues being tossed up by the BJP and Congress party during campaigning.
From Hindutva which hogged limelight in the assembly polls in 2018, to cows, corruption, farmers' woes, electricity bills, women's safety, unemployment, gaddari (betrayal), Pulwama terrorist attack and so on, the Congress party and the BJP are roping in everything to drive home their point before the electorate.
When the foundation stone was laid for the Ram temple in Ayodhya on August 5, the BJP had observed the occasion in grand style in Madhya Pradesh the Congress party did not leave stone unturned to exhibit it’s Hindutva hues by holding Hanuman Chalisa reading and celebrating bhumi pujan on August 5 in Bhopal as well as elsewhere.
Farmers always remain a key poll issue and these elections are no different. As the BJP led by Shivraj Singh Chouhan blames the state's previous Kamal Nath government for betraying farmers by not fulfilling its farm loan waiver promise, the Congress is hitting back saying it had waived off loans of 25 lakh plus farmers but its government was brought down before it could write off more loans.
The Congress also put BJP in the dock, asking why the ruling party isn’t waiving off loans of farmers. On Monday, the Congress Kisan Morcha workers had gheraoed the bungalow of state agriculture minister Kamal Patel in Bhopal the BJP workers opposed them saying the Congress party was shameless and did not waive off farm loans up to Rs two lakh.
The Congress, which had announced the construction of around 1,000 gaushalas in the state, is trying to corner the BJP over the plight of cows in the state and recently highlighted the deduction in the budget for providing fodder to cows.
Even as state leaders have been engaged in a fierce war of words over actress Kangana Ranaut’s face-off with the Maharashtra government, a Congress leader has also raked up the Pulwama issue.
Speaking at a function on Sunday, Congress MLA Arif Masood asked the Centre to explain how the attack had taken place despite a high alert and why the bravehearts who died are yet to get justice as a conclusive probe is yet to be carried out. Why is the Centre yet to answer questions related to the Pulwama attack, added Masood.
Besides, ‘gaddari’ of own men, especially from Jyotiraditya Scindia, is still hurting the grand old party which is making hectic efforts to shame those who had left the party with Scindia. The party IT wing is especially aggressive against these former ‘colleagues’ on social media platforms.
Recently the Congress party hit out at the Shivraj Chouhan government for not attaining atmanirbharta in oxygen supplies in the past 15 years as the state reported a shortage of medical oxygen supply after the Maharashtra government expressed the inability to supply the gas due to a the spiralling Covid-19 situation in its own state.
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