MP polls 2023: BJP discusses strategy for 'tough seats' ahead of elections

2023 Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly: The meeting of the BJP's senior leaders months before the elections are scheduled to be held indicates the significance of these state elections, sources said

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday discussed its strategy for the constituencies in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, where it expects a tough contest in the assembly elections later this year, reported Indian Express citing sources.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and BJP president JP Nadda were among the top BJP leaders who evaluated the party's position based on the feedback provided by the state units, sources said.

Most members of the BJP's Central Election Committee (CEC), as well as central leaders in charge of Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, and former Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh also participated in the deliberations.

BJP's plan for upcoming state elections

According to party sources, the BJP has implemented the "panna pramukh" strategy in which party workers are responsible for pages voters' list. 

The saffron has also been categorising constituencies in terms of winnability, said sources.

The BJP would give "special focus" to almost a third of the seats in Chhattisgarh as they are categorised as tough constituencies. They added that the party has also readied a panel of candidates for each of these seats.

BJP functionaries also said the meeting of the party's senior leaders months before the elections are scheduled to be held indicates the significance of these state elections.

The outcome of the elections in Rajasthan, Telangana, and Mizoram, apart from Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, would prove crucial for the party's Lok Sabha election preparations, they said.

Among the constituencies discussed during the meeting were those where the party suffered major setbacks in the previous assembly elections. 

The BJP lost power in both Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh in the 2018 state elections. However, it succeeded in toppling the Congress government in the latter after just over a year. It got only 15 90 seats in the Chhattisgarh Assembly, while the Congress bagged 68. The BJP's tally was 109 in the 230-member Madhya Pradesh Assembly, while the Congress's was 114.

In the Lok Sabha elections in May 2019, the BJP managed to turn things around in both states. It won nine of the 11 constituencies in Chhattisgarh and 28 of the 29 seats in Madhya Pradesh.