State of Madhya Pradesh

Key issues: Power, corruption, Centre’s “biased approach against MP”. The power crisis is because of two reasons. Scanty rain has delivered a  blow to hydel power generation and the alleged discrimination by the Centre against non-Congress states has restricted coal supply.

Recent sops: 6th pay commission benefits to government employee, loan waiver for farmers.

Analysis: The BJP, fresh from its emphatic win in the assembly elections four months ago, appears confident of repeating its performance in the last parliamentary polls.

However, the acute power shortage in the state can put a spoke in its march. The last time the party won 25 of the 29 seats under Uma Bharti’s leadership. The India Shining campaign of the NDA government helped, but the victory was more due to the Shivraj Singh Chauhan government’s performance and selection of right candidates.

Traditionally, MP has seen direct contests between the BJP and the Congress in Lok Sabha elections, but the Congress had never fared so badly as it did in 2004. The four seats it won – Chhindwara (Kamal Nath), Guna (Jyotiraditya Scindia), Gwalior and Jhabua (Kantilal Bhuria) — were largely due to the candidates. The Congress is finding it difficult to get winnable candidates for most other seats.

Former Union minister and BJP leader Sumitra Mahajan, for instance, is sure to retain the prestigious Indore seat for the seventh time. The only silver lining for the Congress is that it wrested two seats, Khargone and Sidhi, from the BJP in a bypoll.

Advantage: BJP