- BJP lost due to low turnout in the first phase
Milind Muzumdar, Indore
The state BJP organization has made tall claims regarding polling station management many times, but the organization’s claims have been exposed in the first phase of voting. In the first phase, voting was held on 6 seats of Madhya Pradesh — Chhindwara, Mandla, Balaghat, Jabalpur, Sidhi and Shahdol. Eight to ten percent voting took place in all the districts. Due to the first phase of voting, all the top men of the state BJP are worried. Now, fresh preparations are being made for the second phase of voting to be held on April 26.
Sources say that apart from Chhindwara and Mandla, Congress is also performing well in Sidhi seat. Apart from this, it is also being estimated that Ganesh Singh’s margin on Satna seat will be less. BJP is going to win the seats of Jabalpur, Shahdol and Balaghat with a big margin. In the second phase in Madhya Pradesh, voting will be held on April 26 in seven Lok Sabha parliamentary constituencies Tikamgarh, Damoh, Khajuraho, Satna, Rewa, Hoshangabad and Betul.
BJP strategists and top men of the organization are making fresh strategies to ensure maximum voting in the coming phases. Along with Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav and State BJP President Vishnu Dutt Sharma, State Organization General Secretary Hitanand and Regional Organization General Secretary Ajay Jamwal are especially focused on polling center management. The reason for uneasiness in BJP due to low voting is that in 2009, when the voting percentage had fallen similarly, Congress had got 12 Lok Sabha seats in the state.
This time BJP is in the fray with the intention of doing a clean sweep in the state. The party has made preparations for the whole year to increase the voting percentage.
Congress’s polling station management was also weak!
BJP strategists may be worried about the falling voting percentage, but many neutral analysts believe that due to the possibility of forming a BJP government at the Center and the weakness of the Congress, the opposition has not been successful in getting its voters. The decline in voting percentage is also due to opposition voters not coming out of their homes. This is also true because in the matter of polling station management, BJP and Sangh Parivar workers were in the field but Congress’s polling station management was nowhere to be seen. Information has been received that in Jabalpur, at about 30 percent polling stations, Congress polling agents went out just 2 hours after voting and did not return. Same situation prevailed in Shahdol and Balaghat also. In Balaghat, more Kankar Munjare workers were seen fighting on behalf of Bahujan Samaj Party than Congress. This time, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh had decided in its All India Pratinidhi Sabha meeting that Sangh workers would work to increase the voting percentage. Apparently Sangh workers were in the field. This is the reason why there is a greater possibility that the impact of low voting will be on the opposition. Despite this, BJP strategists in Madhya Pradesh are not completely sure.
