India - Bipolar structure under threat in M.P.

K. Balchand


SATNA: The November 27 Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh will decide whether the bipolar political structure will be retained or a new political order will surface.

The BJP and the Congress, for the first time, are faced with the prospect of having to acknowledge the presence of quite a few political forces seeking a proper share in shaping the State’s destiny. And most of these parties are striving to form their base in the Bundelkhand and Baghelkhand regions.

The battle lines in Satna district conform to the political situation along the State’s border with Uttar Pradesh which appeared more prone to an invasion by forces from across the border unlike from borders touching other States.

The electoral tussle along the border appears as an extended battlefield of Uttar Pradesh, what with the BSP and the SP seeking to get a better foothold in Madhya Pradesh.

The party in power from across the border gets to reap a good harvest. Last time, Mulayam Singh succeeded in getting nine of his candidates elected and the general impression was that the advantage this time lay with Ms. Mayawati.

Add to this the seeds sown by Uma Bharti in Tikamgarh district, also along the U.P. border, for raising a regional political party, the Bharatiya Jan Shakti Party. Besides, there are about three dozen political parties, including the Left, which see the possibility of bagging a seat or two.

The BSP and the SP are harming both the Congress and the BJP and the BJSP is damaging the BJP most by depleting its workforce. The plus point with the SP and the BJSP was that they thrived on backward castes, while the BSP had a Dalit base and the three parties have fielded candidates tactically in all the 50-odd constituencies of Bundelkhand and Baghelkhand.

The two regions are very backward and dominated by backward castes. They also have a good sprinkling of upper castes and Dalits, allowing for a host of forces to play on their sentiments and find roots for themselves. The BSP, for instance, has promised a new State for Bundelkhand.

The Centre set up a fund of Rs.500 crore, with a contribution of the State government thrown in, about a year ago for the backward districts. That little work has been completed is another tale. The other bad thing about the bigger parties is that they think of the region and the people only during the elections by making announcements and doling out tickets on the basis of caste.

After the creation of Madhya Pradesh in 1956, the Congress was elected to power in 1957 and after a 10-year stay was voted to power by the Sanyukt Vidhayak Dal in 1967, which lasted for 18 months and the House was dissolved. The Congress returned to power, and in 1977 the Janata Party dissolved the House and won the elections. The Janata Party was shown the door in 1980 and the Congress came back to power again and remained in power till 1990. It lost to the BJP but that government lasted only till 1993. The Congress regained power for two terms and lost out to the BJP in 2003.

The Congress is hoping that power would return to its fold. But the fact remains that it could not dislodge the BJP government midway through its term, thereby allowing history to take a new turn.