 "Kantilal Bhuria")
In view of the upcoming Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh (MP), Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday constituted a campaign committee for the state, with former Union Minister and tribal leader Kantilal Bhuria as chairman.
Cementing tribal vote bank
According to a report by The Hindu, sources in the party said that by giving the veteran a major role, the party hopes to cement its tribal vote bank, which contributed to its victory in 2018. Back then, the party had gained 32 of the 47 seats reserved for the Scheduled Tribes (ST) community in the 230-member Assembly.
"In 2018, Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia led the Congress' election campaign committee, but he later switched to the BJP. Someone like Bhuria, who is aggressive and has held many responsibilities in the past, including that of PCC chief, can take on the BJP, which is attempting to make inroads among the tribals," sources said.
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The Bhil, Gond, Bhilala, Kol, Korku, Baiga, Saharia, and Bharia tribes make up the majority of Madhya Pradesh's scheduled tribe population. They make up 21 per cent of total electors and are the second largest such group, after only OBC voters, who account for more than 50 per cent of all voters.
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Of the state's 230 Assembly seats, 47 are reserved for STs. In the 2008 Assembly elections, the ruling BJP won 29 of these seats, while the Congress got 18. In 2013, the BJP won 31 and the Congress tally was reduced to 15. This flipped in the 2018 elections, with the Congress winning 31 seats and the BJP getting 15.
Congress' campaign committee members
Kamal Nath, the party’s MP unit president, and former chief minister Digvijaya Singh have been included in the state election campaign committee.
Nath, who is the chief ministerial aspirant of the Congress, has also been named chairman of the 20-member Pradesh Election Committee.
“The Congress president has approved the proposal for the constitution of a campaign committee for the ensuing assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh with immediate effect,” All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary KC Venugopal said in a letter.
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Other members of the panel include Govind Singh, Suresh Pachauri, Arun Yadav, Ajay Singh Rahul, Vivek Tankha, Rajmani Patel, Nakul Nath, Sajjan Singh Verma, NP Prajapati, KP Singh Kakkajoo, Lakshman Singh, Bala Bachchan, Tarun Bhanot, Omkar Singh Markam, Vijaylaxmi Sadho, Rajendra Singh, Hina Kaware, Lakhan Singh Yadav, Sukhdeo Panse and Jitu Patwari.
The committee also includes former All India Mahila Congress chief Shobha Oza, former All India Sewa Dal head Mahendra Joshi, state heads of all frontal organisations and state chairpersons of the party’s SC, ST, OBC, and minority wings.
Congress’ Pradesh Election Committee
Another communication from the party said, “The Congress president has approved the proposal for the constitution of the Pradesh Election Committee for the ensuing assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh with immediate effect.”
Apart from Kamal Nath, other members of the panel include Govind Singh, Digvijaya Singh, Suresh Pachauri, Kantilal Bhuria, Arun Yadav, Ajay Singh Rahul, Vivek Tankha, Rajmani Patel, Nakul Nath, Sajjan Singh Verma, Vijaylaxmi Sadho, Tarun Bhanot, Omkar Singh Markam.
Sukhdeo Panse, Bala Bachchan, Jitu Patwari, Kamleshwar Patel, Arif Masood and state heads of all frontal organisations are also members of the Congress’ Pradesh Election Committee.
Meanwhile, AICC general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala who played a key role in the party’s successful election effort in Karnataka has also been appointed senior observer for coordinating the Congress’s poll preparations in MP.
Meanwhile, AICC general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala who played a key role in the party’s successful election effort in Karnataka has also been appointed senior observer for coordinating the Congress’s poll preparations in MP.
Assembly polls are likely to be held at the end of the year in MP, where the Congress emerged as the largest party in the 2018 polls but its government fell in March 2020 following a rebellion by Jyotiraditya Scindia and more than 20 of his loyalist MLAs, paving the way for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to return to power.
