Madhya Pradesh gears up for polls

State Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will go for another litmus test on November 25, when the assembly elections will be contested in Madhya Pradesh. The landlocked state, which has highest tribal population in the country -- precisely 21% of the total 72.6 million -- will see more than 46 million voters exercise their franchisee in the elections.

The polls have become more interesting, since the Bharatiya Janata Party has often portrayed Chouhan as being on par with his Gujarat Counterpart and the party’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi in terms of development.

On the other hand, the Congress, the main opposition has added muscle to its state unit by asking Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, former chief minister Digvijay Singh, former union minister Suresh Pachauri and Union minister Kamal Nath, who are otherwise known for their fight for supremacy, to join hands with a common objective.

The state Assembly has a total 230 seats, of which the BJP had attained a majority of 143 seats in the last assembly polls in 2008, and later touched a figure of 150 after a few by-polls.

Elections have also gained significance in the state after introduction of “None of the Above” (NOTA) option for voters in electronic voting machines. If they have to opt to reject all the candidates in any particular constituency.

For the first time this feature has been added to the electronic voting machines after a Supreme Court judgment last month.
Of the total population of 72626809 there are 46448892 voters in Madhya Pradesh with 79% male. Of them 2259292 voters are in the 18-20 age group.  

Pre-poll surveys and political observers in the state predict that Chouhan’s easy accessibility and humility have brought him closer to the people during his last tenure spanning eight years. However, the anti-incumbency factor at the local level may make it tough for him to retain power.

In the congress camp, Union minister Kamal Nath has influence over Mahakaushal region, while Digvijay Singh and Jyotiraditya Scindia wield clout in Vindhya Pradesh, Jhabua, Gwalior, Malwa and Central regions.

On poll strategy, Chouhan has concluded his ‘Jan Ashirwad yatra’ recently but both the parties have yet not announced their candidates' names. The Congress, which had earlier planned to announce its candidates in advance  to give enough time to them for campaign, has gone into wait-and-watch mode. As a result it is not sure if the apparent unity among its regional satraps would last till the distribution of tickets. Whatever the case, candidates of both the parties have only four weeks for campaign during the festive season.

Party Position in MP
Total seats: 231
BJP: 150
INC: 66
BSP: 7
Independent: 3
SP: 1
Vacant: 2
Nominated: 1