If the BJP forms the government in the state, it will call it a double-engine government

- The issues of unemployment, inflation and caste census are the biggest concerns facing the country

- In no state has the BJP projected any person as a leader or as the face of the Chief Minister

- The present Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh is also not considered as the Chief Minister of his state

- Opinion - P. Chidambaram

Elections are currently going on in five states of the country - Mizoram, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Telangana. The voting dates are from 7th to 30th November.

Elections in India become curious. Usually in elections candidates represent a party and that party has a leader who campaigns. The party securing majority of the total seats forms the government either alone or with its allies.

Not only has BJP leader Narendra Modi re-framed his party rules, he has also changed the election rules to some extent. Any discontent is suppressed in the BJP. BJP has many Union Ministers and MPs who are forced to contest state assembly elections against their will. In the current state assembly elections, Modi seems to be the BJP candidate in every constituency. BJP is seeking votes in his name.

In no state has the BJP projected any person as a leader (say the face of the Chief Minister). Even the present Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh is not considered as the Chief Minister of his state. Not only Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh where Vasundhara Raje and Raman Singh are well-known names but they are not projected. BJP has no significant presence in Mizoram and Telangana.

Congress and other parties are contesting elections with traditional rules. He has fielded his candidates in most of the constituencies with his identity. The current chief minister of Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan is the campaign leader of the Congress and the former chief minister has led the Congress in Madhya Pradesh. Chief Minister Chandrashekhar Rao in Telangana and Chief Minister Zoramthanga in Mizoram are campaigning for their party.

Different strikes

The campaigns of the major parties are quite different. BJP is seeking votes based on the performance of the central government. If the BJP forms the government in the state, it will call it a double-engine government, whatever that means. However, the talk of double engine in Himachal and Karnataka has been rejected by the voters there. Congress, BRS and MNF have sought votes based on the performance of the state government. The current assembly elections are a rehearsal for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections for the BJP. Congress and other parties which are concerned about that state are not currently eyeing the Lok Sabha elections.

Freebies have been termed by the BJP as revdy for the past few months, but the election manifesto it released for the initial polls (Chhattisgarh) has made many greedy promises, including cash support to certain sections of people. Modi has led massive rallies in which election spending limits have been allegedly violated. Every mega rally costs crores and it is hard to believe the argument that the expenses for these rallies are legally recovered.

Unemployment and inflation are two major concerns. There are claims that central government policies have created lakhs of jobs, but unemployment reports belie the claims. Inflation is the responsibility of the central government. BJP has refrained from mentioning these two issues in the election. The issue of caste census is also not given place. Congress has prioritized the issues of unemployment, inflation and caste census.

The poor have remained poor

BJP is in a weak position in five state elections due to the complicated situation. It is the main challenge in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan as there is no rival to make a dent in the BJP's votes. If the BJP loses even two of these three states, its score will remain one and it will be labeled as a loser. Congress is fighting seriously in all the five states.

BJP is silent on the issue of jobs for two crore people every year. He cannot claim that people's income has increased because of PLFS survey data. From the financial year 2017-18 to the financial year 2022-23, the poor have remained poor. The average monthly income of various categories of employees has hardly increased. Whatever gains have been made have been washed away by inflation. Inflation has been consistently above four percent.

category 2017-18 2022-23

self employed 13347 12318

workers 6969 7899

regular employee 19450 20039

Considering the weak state of the country's economy, the results of the assembly elections of five states seem to surprise many. Which will raise many questions in the minds of the people for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.