Class 6 student Adarshini meets Kamal Nath, hoping to invite the Congress leader to her birthday party on the eve of voting in MP elections. (News18)
While both Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Kamal Nath sought divine intervention 24 hours before Madhya Pradesh elections 2023, the incumbent chief minister met beneficiaries of his Ladli Behna Yojana, while his Congress challenger met young fans at home
Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Kamal Nath have each held close to 150 rallies and election meetings in the last few weeks. But even after official close of campaigning for the November 17 Madhya Pradesh election 2023, the two challengers didn’t take it easy.
Chhindwara Challenge
Kamal Nath’s house is Sikarpur, Chhindwara was packed with visitors since early morning on Thursday. Less than 24 hours before polling, the Congress’s CM contender parked himself in his constituency. He is facing a tough challenge from Vivek Sahu of the BJP on his home turf. Nath has not lost Chhindwara for four decades, but as he attempts to unseat Shivraj Singh Chouhan in Bhopal, his own seat can’t be taken for granted.
“He was called pankhewale baba because he would never be seen in Chhindwara; always in choppers or planes. We have forced him to come and park himself here because he fears losing his seat,” Vivek Sahu, the BJP candidate from Chhindwara, told News18. Sahu claims all seven seats in Chhindwara will go to BJP this time and the Congress would be limited to 60 seats.
A confident Kamal Nath, however, reposed full faith in voters. “Voters are aware. For them, the real issues are unemployment and corruption. They have made up their mind (to vote out BJP),” he told News18.
Fan Club
First-time voters like Oshi Karmarkar give Nath hope. An MBA student in Nagpur, this self-confessed fan of Kamal Nath, was one of the visitors at his residence on Thursday. “I just want to introduce myself and tell him that I am a big fan and lend him my support,” she told News18.
Class 6 student Adarshini chimed in. “I am a fan too. It is my birthday today, I wanted to invite him,” she said.
Nath patiently heard the two young fans amid reports from karyakartas (functionaries) of Chhindwara. Phones held by his close aides buzzed constantly as booth management details, karyakarta deployment plans and control room management reports poured in from across Madhya Pradesh.
By noon, the Congress veteran embarked on a tour of the local markets “to get a feel of the ground”. The Siddeshwar Hanuman Mandir, the construction of which got Kamal Nath the label of Hanuman bhakt (devotee), was next on the itinerary.
Construction of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya is one of the highlights of BJP’s campaign and Hanuman bhakt Kamal Nath’s temple run is part of his political messaging.
Shivraj Seeks Divine Intervention
Divine intervention was sought by incumbent Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan too. At his native Jait Village in Budhni Vidhan Sabha, the CM’s day started with ‘routine’ prayers. Shivraj is popular in this belt as a ‘Narmada worshipper’, and hours before his fate is decided by voters, he sought the blessings of River Narmada at the Sethani Ghat at Narmadapuram.
Chauhan also continued to woo women voters. Mama ji, as he is popularly called, Shivraj met beneficiaries of the Ladli Behan Yojna on Thursday.
So far, 1.30 crore beneficiaries of the scheme in MP have been getting Rs 1,250 per month. Shivraj has promised to hike this assistance to Rs 3,000 per month in the future.
The BJP feels women will vote en mass for the party because of the life-changing policy of Ladli Behna Yojna. The Congress has, meanwhile, questioned what it calls “a gimmick”.
“Behna has become ladli only now, why was she not ladli till elections were announced?” Kamal Nath said in an exclusive conversation with News18.