The upcoming state assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Rajasthan have sparked considerable interest in India’s political arena. Both major political parties have unveiled their lists of candidates, marking a noteworthy change in the nation’s political landscape.
A closer look at the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) candidate list uncovers several noteworthy developments. Until just three to four months ago, all preparations for the state assembly elections were firmly centralized in Delhi. This meant that election strategies, candidates’ selection, and criteria were determined by the central leadership. Initial candidate lists for Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, which encompassed 39 and 21 candidates respectively, were predominantly influenced by Delhi’s centralised assessments, largely disregarding local leaders’ perspectives.
However, mounting regional discontent and growing dissent within the party forced a change in strategy. Subsequently, the candidate lists that were released began to reflect the opinions and recommendations of regional leaders. The BJP deviated from conventional criteria, such as family affiliations, age restrictions, and electoral histories, making way for a number of regional leaders to receive tickets. Surprisingly, candidates over 80 years of age and family members of influential leaders were also included in the lists.
Notably, there have been allegations that the former Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, Raman Singh, exerted pressure on central leadership to secure a ticket for his nephew. Now state Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel is highlighting this point. This recent development highlights a significant shift in electoral strategy as the high-stakes state assembly elections draw near. The question arises as to whether the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological parent organisation of the BJP, played a role in advocating for decentralisation. The RSS has consistently maintained that states should be granted autonomy and that central leadership should refrain from excessive interference.
Recent candidate lists for Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan underscore this transformation, with local leaders assuming a more prominent role in candidates’ selections. In Rajasthan, Vasundhara Raje has succeeded in securing tickets for her supporters, while the list for Madhya Pradesh indicates that candidates of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and State Election Coordinator Narendra Singh Tomar have also been finalised.
It remains to be seen whether this shift was orchestrated by the central leadership to allow state leaders to take the lead, or whether it was a strategic move to prevent the 2024 general elections from overshadowing the 2023 state assembly elections. Regardless of the underlying reasons, it is evident that regional leaders have suddenly gained prominence over central leadership in these three state assembly elections, and the true implications will be clearly seen only after the results of the 2023 state assembly elections are announced.