Chhattisgarh Elections: Congress Succumbs to Scandals, Anti-Incumbency Wave, and Tribal Factors

Raipur. In the Chhattisgarh elections, the BJP has made a stunning comeback. While Congress was initially confident, it has faced disappointment.

Several factors played in favor of the BJP, such as the anti-incumbency wave, the Mahadev App, and other scandals, along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's schemes for weaker tribal communities.

Mission Adivasi

Amidst the electoral season in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh, PM Modi launched a new development mission on November 15 specifically targeting vulnerable tribal groups (PVTGs). This mission, worth ₹24,000 crores, aims to provide amenities, connectivity in terms of roads and communication, education, healthcare, and nutrition to indigenous communities in remote areas.

Increased BJP Vote Share

The BJP has won three consecutive assembly elections in Chhattisgarh (2003, 2008, and 2013), but most of these elections were decided by a margin of less than one percent. However, Congress made a significant comeback in 2018. This time, the BJP received 45.80% of the votes, while Congress lags behind with a 41.89% vote share.

Scandal Stronghold!

Before the second phase of the assembly elections, the BJP accused Congress and Chief Minister Bhagel of benefiting improperly from the Mahadev App, claiming that the Congress party and its Chief Minister received ₹508 crores from promoters of the power-brokering app. Additionally, in the custom milling scam, the ED alleged that a former director of the State Markfed and some officials of the State Rice Millers Association accepted bribes of ₹175 crores for powerful individuals.

Mining Scam

In the ED investigation of the mineral fund scam, it was found that a cartel involving senior officials, businessmen, politicians, and intermediaries was illegally collecting ₹25 per ton of coal transported in Chhattisgarh.

PSC Scam

After the results of the 2021 Civil Services Examination conducted by the Chhattisgarh Public Service Commission (PSC) were released in June this year, the BJP accused the Chhattisgarh PSC of favoritism in the selection of relatives of several government officials.

BJP on the Offensive

During the election campaign, the BJP focused on alleged corruption in the Bhagel government's wrongdoings. Union Home Minister Amit Shah released an "allegation letter" against Bhupesh Baghel's government, accusing him of involvement in scams and loot and committing atrocities against the people of the state. He also accused Baghel of turning Chhattisgarh into an "ATM of the Gandhi family" and claimed that his government had "broken all records of corruption."

Until a few months ago, the election campaign was challenging for the BJP, which had struggled in the state after being in power for 25 years, losing on 15 seats in the 2018 assembly elections. However, this time, the party made a spectacular comeback. While it cannot be said with absolute certainty that the scandals have influenced the results, this possibility cannot be ruled out."