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Madhya Pradesh campaign: Local issues lost in national ones

From Ram temple to Rafale deal row to Nehru-Gandhi family's misdeeds, these are being talked about by leaders to impress the voters with just four days left before the state goes to polls.

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Madhya Pradesh Shivraj Singh Chouhan at an election rally
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If you hear speeches by top BJP and Congress leaders during the hectic canvassing in Madhya Pradesh, you may take it for a national general election. It is more so because of the issues that are raised in campaigns leading up to the state Assembly polls — these have less to do with the state, but are mostly about the slugfest between the two parties in the run-up to next year's Lok Sabha election. From Ram temple to Rafale deal row to Nehru-Gandhi family's misdeeds, these are being talked about by leaders to impress the voters with just four days left before the state goes to polls.

It was five years ago that Madhya Pradesh's biggest scam got unearthed which had almost dislodged Shivraj from his chair. But the BJP salvaged the situation as it handed over the probe to the CBI. Known as the 'Vyapam scam' which saw irregularities in medical admissions and other recruitment exams conducted by the state government, it does not have much of an impact on the people now.

In addition, Opposition Congress is also not making a big issue out of it in their poll campaign. Congress top guns like Digvijaya Singh and Vivek Tankha, who had slapped cases against the CM and others back then, are also not raising the issue forcefully to actually turn tables on ruling BJP. For the record, the Congress has promised in its pledge list that it would close down Vyapam institution and form a new recruitment board and Jyotiraditya Scindia promised to do justice in the scam.

Both the BJP and Congress are trading charges against each other more on national issues like Ram temple and Rafale deal row, than local issues. Former prime minister Manmohan Singh, former finance minister P Chidambaram have also raised national issues at Indore. Singh accused PM Narendra Modi government of weakening democracy in India.

On the other hand PM Modi, speaking at tribal dominated Jhabua, gave examples of Bihar and UP which did not elect Congress " because they knew what the party stood for" and urged the voters of Madhya Pradesh " not to elect even one candidate of Congress".

Local issues, like rehabilitation of Narmada dam, are being talked about only in affected regions, but they are not likely to make an impact. For example, in Bundelkhand and Gwalior-Chambal caste equations will decide the outcome but not Vyapam or Rs 3,000 crore e-tender scam.

Poll Planks

  • Congress attacks BJP over issues like Ram temple and Pakistan. 
  • BJP cites poll results in Bihar and UP which went against Congress.
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