Chhattisgarh polls: Congress CM Bhupesh Baghel Vs BJP in Maoist-affected Bastar
POLITICAL SNAPSHOT
Chhattisgarh became the 26th state of India when it was carved out of Madhya Pradesh on November 1, 2000. Ajit Jogi, who was then in Congress, served as the first chief minister from 2000 to 2003. BJP wrested power and Raman Singh succeeded Jogi. Singh converted Chhattisgarh into a BJP bastion and served as chief minister for 15 years. Months before the assembly elections, on May 25, 2013, a deadly Maoist attack wiped out the entire Congress leadership. With its top leaders dead, Congress could not swing the 2013 election. Singh’s BJP won 49 seats and Congress 39. Bhupesh Baghel was given the reins of the party in Chhattisgarh in the aftermath of assembly election defeat. 2018 was the turning point for Congress when Baghel steered the party to a landslide victory bagging 68 of the 90 seats, decimating incumbent BJP to 15 seats.
THE CHALLENGES
CONGRESS: Baghel faces the tough task of beating anti-incumbency and promising something more in a state, which runs high on welfarism model, often criticised by the Opposition BJP as the “freebies” model. The party will face its biggest challenge in Bastar region where Congress holds all 12 seats. Congress has tried to beat anti-incumbency by
giving tickets to newer faces by nixing its sitting MLAs. This has triggered an internal rebellion with some disappointed MLAs declaring they will join Gondwana Gantantra Party or BJP. What works for Congress is the vastly popular image of Baghel who has a direct people connect.
BJP: The Opposition has not been able to bring forth a credible issue against the Baghel government. It is struggling to find a potent electoral issue to hinge its campaign on. BJP has tried to make corruption an electoral issue — even
