Madhya Pradesh in numbers

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Referred to as the Ethiopia of India for its poor socio-economic indicators, Madhya Pradesh goes to polls in end-November. The Congress is eyeing a return after consecutive defeats in 2003 & 2008, while Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is confident of a third term. Though Chouhan is often praised within the party for his development agenda in the state, an analysis of Madhya Pradesh's performance shows the state at the bottom of the pyramid on most development parameters.

First, the state has a high infant mortality rate and a poor sex ratio. The majority of its population doesn't have access to clean water and toilet facilities are scarce. The economy of the state, too, is on the decline. The GDP growth for the last two years (2009-10 and 2010-11) has fallen and the percapita income is lower than the national average. The state runs a fiscal deficit which is higher than the national average.

In the second instalment of a five-part series leading to the Assembly elections in five states, Business Standard provides an analysis of the state's performance and the health of its economy.