Madhya Pradesh Political Punch: Star Campaigners, Fine Jugalbandi, Damage Control

Bid to better relations

A few leaders of the state BJP are trying to mollify the government, which is angry with them. Two legislators, who were ministers, recently met the head of state. Both wished to return to the ministry, but the head of state is not giving them any importance these days. One of the legislators is involved in many cases. Although the legislator makes efforts to get closer to the government, some hurdles crop up to frustrate his efforts. So, he is again trying to improve his relations with the government, and its impact is apparent.

All cases against him have been put on hold these days, and once his relations with the government get better, all such cases may be swept under the carpet, or else, his difficulties may increase. Similarly, another senior legislator also met the head of state and the head of the party organisation on the pretext of Diwali. This leader, too, is not on good terms with the party’s state organisation. So, he is trying to improve his relations with the government.

Missed by whisker

The announcement of the BJP office-bearers’ names has upset many leaders of the party, as they spared no efforts to get into the list of officeholders, but they missed the chance at the last moment.  A woman politician of the party pulled out all the stops to get into the list of office-bearers, but her name was struck off the list just before the party was about to announce it. On a previous occasion, her name was in discussion for a berth in the team of the party’s state president, but then too, success eluded her.

Similarly, a politician from the Vindhya region, considered close to the BJP’s state president, was confident of getting a place in the team. Ergo, he thought nothing would come in his way of getting a berth in the state team. The politicians of his party from the Vindhya region played the key role in striking off his name from the list of officeholders. Now, he is lobbying for a place in corporations and boards whenever political appointments are made. Similarly, a politician in the state capital was outwitted. Now, these leaders are making efforts for some other positions.

Star campaigners

The Congress has included two leaders from the state in the list of its star campaigners for the Bihar election. The reason behind the inclusion of one of the leaders in the list is that he is popular with the minority community. Although he does not belong to the community, he issues statements in their favour.

The number of voters of the community the leader comes from counts in Bihar; besides, he is considered a fine orator. But a senior leader from the state whose caste has maximum votes in Bihar has not been included in the list of star campaigners. He has not been put on election duty in that state. The chasm between the Congress high command and this leader, who was once close to the top leadership, has widened. For this reason, he has not been given any important assignment for a long time. In the same way, another leader is unhappy for not being included in the list of star campaigners. Those who are close to this leader told him that he would go to Bihar to canvass for the party, but the leadership did not consider him fit for it.

Fine Jugalbandi

A senior BJP leader, holding a non-political post, has become close to the Congress politicians. The BJP leader recently participated in two events. At both functions, he was with a Congress leader as a guest. Besides, a Congress leader was behind the arrangement of one of the functions; in fact, it was the supporters of the leader who organised the programme. The closeness between the two politicians, belonging to two rival parties, was apparent at the function.

Because they come from the same community, they are close to each other. Likewise, the BJP leader’s proximity to another Congress politician was evident at another event. The Congress leader honoured his BJP counterpart at the function. About this BJP leader, it is said he has good relations with most of the leaders other than a former Congress politician who defected to the BJP.

Damage control

Several senior leaders of the BJP have taken the government as well as the party organisation to task after the death of a powerful leader of the Vindhya region. At a condolence meeting held for the departed leader, one of the BJP leaders demanded the government set up an SIT probe into the death. There is resentment among the supporters of the departed politician against the government for neglecting the leader; besides, angst is prevailing among a particular caste over the death. Learning a lesson from the incident, the government seems to be cautious about an ailing leader of the party. As soon as the government came to know of his illness, it decided to send him to Delhi.

The government also publicised that it took care of the ailing leader. Through its actions, the government tried to allay doubts from the minds of the party workers that the government had stopped caring for its leaders. There were efforts to do damage control. Several party leaders visited the hospital where the senior politician is undergoing treatment to enquire after his health. The politician, who was a member of the team of the BJP’s former state president, has suffered a brain haemorrhage after he was not included in the new squad of the party.