Kamal Nath, a seasoned campaigner and skilled administrator, is in charge of the Congress’ campaign for the 2019 Madhya Pradesh assembly elections. Siddaramaiah, the chief minister of Karnataka, and Nath may have quite different backgrounds and professional paths, but both have significant influence in their parties and have widespread support in their home states. Nath has begun utilising the Karnataka pattern in earnest with around six months till the elections.
Source: The Quint
The process of choosing party nominees is already underway, and the Congress aims to announce at least 80% of its 230 candidates before the Madhya Pradesh electoral commission formally announces the date and time of the assembly elections.
The strategy of the Congress is divided into two components. The first section focuses on giving local concerns priority, being anti-incumbent against the current chief minister, Shivraj Singh Chauhan, and the majority of his party’s MLAs, and avoiding any attempts to polarise the electorate.
There have been serious provocations in recent months, including the hijab debate, the demolition of a portion of a school by the Damoh district government, and the deployment of a bulldozer in Bhopal for purported love jihad and religious conversions. Nath, the head of the state’s Congress, remained silent, which infuriated several members of the civil society. The religious outreach project or wooing the majority group continues to be Nath’s top goal.
On June 12, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the general secretary of the AICC, travelled to Jabalpur and conducted the Narmada Pooja at Gwarighat before addressing a sizable assembly. The BJP referred to her as a Chunavi Hindu after the Congress painted Jabalpur town in saffron hues that displayed Hanuman’s mace and several other Hindu religious symbols. The second prong of Nath’s strategy calls for BJP members to defect, focusing in particular on those who joined the BJP in March 2020 alongside Jyotiraditya Scindia after leaving the Congress. The Nath administration failed as a result of the defection led by Scindia and 22 MLAs.
Source: The Indian Express
Madhya Pradesh is still a priority for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The pair will make multiple trips to the state over the next months to start a vigorous blitz campaign and boost the BJP’s chances. But given that Chauhan is the longest-serving Chief Minister in BJP history, countering anti-incumbency or glossing over his term is a difficult task. The BJP central leadership reportedly considered replacing Chauhan, but an internal evaluation revealed that the seat total would decrease even lower if Chauhan were to step down as chief minister.
Nath, who was formerly renowned for his brashness, has changed slightly now that he has won; he no longer does large media interviews or makes comments on significant national and international events.
The distance between the Chief Minister’s official mansion, 6, Shyamla Hills, and Nath’s new residence, 9, Shyamla Hills, in Bhopal, is less than 100 feet. The Kamal versus Kamal match between Nath and Chauhan is being promoted.
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