By – Prakarsh Kastwar
Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, conducted the Jan Ashirvad Yatra before the state’s elections in 2008, 2013, and 2018.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) declared on Monday that, unlike in 2008, 2013, and 2018, its Jan Ashirvad Yatra to rally support before the Madhya Pradesh elections expected this year will leave from five separate locations without any specific leader guiding it. Prior to three previous elections, the yatra was headed by the chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
At a news conference, the leader of the state’s BJP election management panel, Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, dodged queries regarding Chauhan’s absence from the yatra and the party’s hesitation to endorse him as a contender for chief minister. The party favors group leadership over individual authority. Our chief minister is Chouhan. He will take part in the yatra for at least half of its duration, as will other party leaders and [Union minister] Jyotiraditya Scindia.
With the exception of the 18 months between 2018 and 2020, the BJP has remained in power in the state since 2003. Amit Shah, the union home minister, has made several trips to Madhya Pradesh in an effort to quell infighting and anti-incumbency sentiment. Last week, Chouhan added three more ministers to his Cabinet for related reasons.
Madhya Pradesh and four other polls are anticipated to set the tone for the 2024 national elections, which would involve voting in states with a combined population of almost 15% of India. In Madhya Pradesh, the Congress wants to take back power. It was elected to power in 2018 but lost it in March 2020 after 22 lawmakers resigned from the state assembly and left the party.
Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the Congress, predicted in May that his party would win 150 of the 230 seats needed to form the state’s next administration. In 2022 and May, respectively, the BJP lost both Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka to the Congress.
According to Tomar, the party would spread the word about the development initiatives carried out in Madhya Pradesh under the direction of Chouhan and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “The party will continue to hold onto power, and the state will help India move toward becoming a developed country by 2047.”
Tomar claimed that the party would inform people about the development programs run in Madhya Pradesh under Chouhan and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The state will assist India in advancing toward being a developed nation by 2047 while the party will continue to hang onto power.
On September 3, Shah will officially launch the first leg of the yatra at Chitrakoot. A gathering in Bhopal will mark the yatra’s conclusion. The event is projected to draw one million BJP members.
The party has requested Modi to address the crowd, according to state BJP president VD Sharma. Over the course of the following five days, the other parts of the yatra will start in Mandla (Mahakoshal), Khandwa (Nimad), Ujjain (Malwa), and Sheopur (Gwalior-Chambal).
Rajnath Singh, the defense minister, and JP Nadda, the head of the BJP, were asked to launch the yatra from separate locations, according to Sharma.