MP election 2023: decoding BJP’s massive win & Congress' poor show

With the Bharatiya Janata Party sweeping election in Madhya Pradesh despite the so-called anti-incumbency factor, the saffron party has delivered an unequivocal message that this central Indian state continues to remain a Hindutava fortress.

The Congress led by Kamal Nath was hoping to take advantage of the boredom factor against the Shivraj Singh Chouhan administration, but a strong push from the BJP central leadership just a month before the voting day saw the tides turning rampantly.

A BJP leader explained to The Indian Express that it was like a surgical strike but with organizational strength and mobilization. While PM Narendra Modi led the campaign, Home Minister Amit Shah took control of the electioneering on the ground.

This was clear from the fact that BJP’s Jan Ashirwad Yatra was led by the central leadership and Chouhan was pushed in the backdrop. At the same time, the BJP took measures to cash in on his government’s schemes which were popular particularly among women. To further counter Chouhan boredom, the BJP move to field several high-profile leaders and sitting MPs gave the electorate an impression that any of them could be BJP’s chief ministerial face after the elections.

Since 2018, when BJP lost the election and came back to power after a rebellion in the Congress, the saffron party had spent time and resources to rebuild the organisation, infuse fresh blood, and strengthen the process of expansion and consolidation of its support. It was this cadre that was set in motion four weeks before voting on November 17.

The Congress failed to sustain its lead till the last minute due to the lack of organizational strength. Sample this, a BJP leader said that on the day of polling, BJP had 90% of its booth committees functioning at 8.30 am while the Congress was scrambling to get their booths set even by 9.30 am. The unnamed BJP politician told The Indian Express that the high percentage of voter turnout in the first half itself happened because of his party’s mobilization.