Congress on Sunday suffered near wipeout in Hindi heartland as it lost 3-1 to BJP, but snatches Telangana from BRS
Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot submits his resignation to Governor Kalraj Mishra on Sunday evening. Pic/ Twitter
Gehlot submits resignation; says ‘results unexpected for everyone’
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Rajasthan
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot submitted his resignation to Governor Kalraj Mishra Sunday evening after his Congress party was defeated in the assembly polls. Gehlot reached the Raj Bhavan here and handed over the resignation letter to the governor.
“Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot reached Raj Bhavan on Sunday and submitted his resignation from the post of Chief Minister to Governor Kalraj Mishra,” according to a press statement from the Rajasthan governor’s office.
BJP leader Vasundhara Raje Scindia at party office after her victory. Pic/PTI
Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Sunday said the poll results were “unexpected for everyone” but rejected suggestions that bringing forward “new faces” would have helped the party retain power.
In a post on X, Gehlot said, “We humbly accept the mandate given by the people of Rajasthan. This is an unexpected result for everyone. This defeat shows that we were not completely successful in taking our plans, laws and innovations to the public.”
Later, talking to reporters, Gehlot said that they would go into the reasons behind the adverse election results in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh
Replying to a question on whether a change of face in the elections might have brought a positive result, Gehlot said that it would be wrong to say that bringing new faces might have made the party win the elections.
Rajasthan BJP incharge Arun Singh and State BJP President CP Joshi at a press conference. Pic/PTI
“There was talk of bringing new faces, and new faces should come, but this demand was not there in MP and Chhattisgarh and still we lost the election. It would be wrong to say that we would have won the election if new faces were brought.”
Effect of PM Modi’s guarantees, says Rajasthan BJP chief
Rajasthan BJP chief C P Joshi on Sunday termed the party’s success in three state polls as the “effect” of PM Modi’s “guarantees”. He said the “guarantees” of PM Modi deflated the Congress in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
Modi-Chouhan popularity, booth-level strategy key to success
Madhya Pradesh
An effective booth-level strategy, strong organisational manoeuvre and the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan are among the key factors that turned the tide in favour of the BJP in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls.
Popularly known as “Mama” (maternal uncle), Chouhan is hugely popular among the masses, especially women and youngsters, while the “MP ke man mein Modi” (Modi in the mind of MP) campaign also helped consolidate the support for the BJP in the state, party leaders said. According to the trends of counting of votes, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is all set to retain power in Madhya Pradesh with an emphatic win over the Congress.
One of the challenges that the saffron party faced in the run-up to the election was internal factionalism and de-motivated workers. The task was to get everyone working together at the organisational level for the ultimate cause of bringing the BJP back to power in the state, sources in the party said.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan with BJP leaders celebrating the party’s win. Pic/PTI
“The leaders drafted in for the state by the central leadership, including national joint general secretary (organisation) Shiv Prakash, played a crucial role in bringing together the various groups within the party and motivating the workers with their exceptional organisational skills,” a source said.
The sources said Shiv Prakash and other leaders sent by the party high-command devised a strategy of assigning 14 senior leaders to 14 districts, where they interacted with the local functionaries as well as the elected representatives of the municipal corporations and panchayats. They organised more than 50 meetings where Chouhan listened suggestions of the party workers.
BJP’s resounding win boosts Chouhan
All the talk about the BJP looking at an alternative leadership in Madhya Pradesh receded into the background on a day Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan made a strong statement about his popular acceptability as the party appeared set to retain power with a stunning two-thirds majority.
The BJP had chosen to head into the assembly polls without naming a chief ministerial face in any of the states and its leaders asserted that the results underscore the wider support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s agenda.
“The mandate gives the party leadership a free hand in deciding on chief ministers on all three states,” a senior leader said, without going into names. While Chouhan has emerged as a favourite to remain at the helm in MP, the leadership race is wide open in Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan.
In Chhattisgarh, ‘Modi ki Guarantee’ trumps Congress’s freebies promise
Chhattisgarh
Ahead of the Chhattisgarh Assembly elections, both the Congress and BJP tried hard to woo farmers, women and the poor with populist schemes.
BJP workers celebrate the party’s win at the party headquarters, in New Delhi. Pic/PTI
It seems the promises made by the BJP, which it promoted as ‘Modi ki Guarantee 2023’, worked in its favour as it is all set to return to power in the tribal-dominated state with a thumping majority.
In the 2018 assembly polls, the Congress had registered a landslide victory largely because of a ‘strong’ anti-incumbency against the then BJP dispensation and the grand old party’s promise of freebies and welfare measures.
As the BJP began its election campaign this time, it faced the herculean task of countering the Bhupesh Baghel government’s pro-farmers, pro-tribals and pro-poor schemes, which the Congress was banking on to retain the state. Both the parties in their manifestos offered sops to various sections of society.
Much ahead of the elections this year, the Congress declared that the state would procure 20 quintals of paddy per acre from farmers in this kharif season. During electioneering, it promised loan waiver to farmers, also made by it in 2018.
As the poll campaign picked momentum, the party laid out a host of promises, including raising the annual financial assistance given to landless labourers under ‘Rajiv Gandhi Bhoomihin Kisan Nyay Yojna’ from Rs 7,000 to Rs 10,000, providing free education from KG to PG (kindergarten to post-graduation) and free electricity up 200 units.
It offered more, promising a subsidy of Rs 500 on domestic gas cylinders to women, purchase of tenu leaves per bag for Rs 6,000 and annual bonus of Rs 4,000 to tenu leaf collectors, free treatment up to Rs 10 lakh to the poor, free treatment to victim in road accidents and loan waiver of self-help groups.
Later, these promises were included in Congress’ manifesto, which was launched after the release of the BJP’s document of poll promises. The Congress in its manifesto also promised Rs 3,200 for per quintal of paddy to farmers.
A ‘weak’ manifesto of the BJP was also one of the reasons for the crushing defeat of the party in 2018, according to poll analysts. However, the Congress was unable to fulfil all the promises it had made in 2018. Keeping the past setback in mind, the BJP this time made populist promises in its manifesto, titled ‘Modi ki Guarantee 2023’ for Chhattisgarh.
BJP’s promises included procurement of 21 quintals of paddy per acre at Rs 3,100 per quintal, annual financial assistance of Rs 12,000 to married women under the ‘Mahtari Vandan Yojana’, construction of 18 lakh houses under ‘PM Awas Yojna’, tendu leaf procurement at Rs 5,500 per standard sack and bonus of Rs 4,500 to leaf collectors and annual assistance of Rs 10,000 to landless farm labourers.
Congress swearing-in ceremony likely on December 4 or 9
Telangana
The Telangana police on Sunday said it has been asked by the state Congress chief A Revanth Reddy to make security arrangements for the swearing-in ceremony on December 4 or 9.
BRS headquarters wears a deserted look during counting of votes for Telangana Assembly elections, in Hyderabad
Reddy, whose party was enjoying a comfortable lead to touch the simple majority mark of 60 seats, on Sunday asked state Director General of Police (DGP) Anjani Kumar to make security arrangements for the swearing-in ceremony.
Reddy called and discussed with DGP, Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) and ADG CID about the preparation for the swearing-in ceremony, which is likely to be held either on Monday or on December 9, a release from Telangana Police said.
Congress Telangana President A Revanth Reddy greets party workers and supporters
Reddy also told them that his party would soon meet the Governor and discuss government formation. “The TPCC President mentioned that from today evening Muhurtam (auspicious time) will start. So, if possible, they may consider swearing-in function tomorrow (Dec 4) or they may take (oath) on December 9,” it said.
Telangana Governor accepts CM KCR’s resignation
India’s Congress party supporters celebrate their victory. Pics/PTI
Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan on Sunday accepted the resignation of CM K Chandrasekhar Rao and urged him to continue in office till formation of the new government. The Governor accepted Rao’s resignation letter. Rao’s son and BRS working president K T Rama Rao earlier said the CM had sent his resignation to the Governor following BRS’s defeat.
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