Spotlight on Madhya Pradesh elections: Gifts, feasts and a close contest

Temples, birthdays, saris, cash, chhapri, bhoj-bhandara, etc. Has the vocabulary of politics changed?

No, Indore is renowned for its politicians who rose to prominence by planning lavish celebrations for religious holidays and fictitious birthdays, giving out saris and other small presents, renovating temples, and organizing groups of chhapariyas (goons). It may be referred to as the Kailash Vijayvargiya model, which has been emulated by others.

The most interesting contest of this election in Madhya Pradesh has taken place in the Indore-1 seat because of its political culture. Here, the BJP central leadership has pushed an unwilling Vijayvargiya to challenge the well-liked Congressman Sanjay Shukla, the incumbent MLA who would have defeated all other contenders hands down.

At this point, no one is taking a chance on a result prediction.

Because Amit Shah and Narendra Modi are aware that only he can unseat the Congressman, Vijayvargiya was fielded in lieu of his son, the current MLA from the nearby Indore-3 seat.

The majority of voters are faced with a dilemma as a result of Vijayvargiya's candidacy—they must support both candidates.

"We have both received gifts and taken part in hundreds of feasts hosted by these leaders." We don't want any of them to lose," a motorist stated, lamenting the conflict.

Being fielded in the Assembly election has openly angered Vijayvargiya, who claims he is a seasoned politician who ought to have made statements in front of the people and then gone rather than pleading with them for votes.

Many in this room agree that Vijayvargiya is a powerful enough leader to be seated beside Modi and Shah, but he got drawn into this small-scale political dispute.

"Minister-level se upar hain," a lady added, acknowledging that during the previous ten years, these politicians had given her all sorts of presents.

BJP stronghold Indore-1 saw victories for Sudarshan Gupta in 2008 and 2013. However, Shukla has solidified his position by being in constant communication with voters over the previous five years, having not just won the seat in 2018.

"Sanjay Bhaiya helps us throughout the year," a store owner said. He had been distributing meals during COVID. Cooked food was brought to the afflicted residents twice a day until normality was restored after slums were submerged in water for months.

Shukla is a very strong candidate, as seen by the Vijayvargiya family's aggressive campaigning; even the ladies are going door to door to solicit votes.

While the general consensus is that any outcome may win, others think Shukla's humility can win because of Vijayvargiya's support of "chhapariyas," who have angered many.

However, a local political expert predicted that Kailashji would triumph due to "management" rather than popular backing. The Congress may have benefited from Muslim voting, but there are whispers about "management." Suppose the majority of them fail to show up at the booths? The rumors are circulating about anything from automobiles for the booth-in-charge to votes costing Rs 10,000 and other absurdities.

Such claims are being discussed widely, but no proof has been provided. However, reports of cash and alcohol seizures have grown commonplace.

On Thursday, a truck carrying 2.5 lakh saris was stopped. It was difficult to figure out who had scheduled the consignment since the driver ran away.

Despite the Congress fielding a strong candidate, Vijayvargiya's student Ramesh Mendola sits easily in Indore-2 due of this quality of "helping people."

Mendola, also known as "Dada Dayalu," is seen by the public as unbeatable because he never turns down an assistance request.

A common refrain among voters, some of whom have received personal assistance from him, is "Koi unke ghar se khali haath nahin lauta" (Nobody ever returned empty-handed from his house).

Mendola offers "justice" to parties in conflicts and "protection" to businesspeople who have no grievances against him in addition to financial assistance. Out all the nine seats in the Indore district, this one is the BJP's most secure.

Golu Shukla, the candidate of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Indore-3, a seat that is dominated by businesses, marketplaces, grain mandis, and transport industries, confronts a formidable struggle from Deepak Joshi Pintu.

Renowned for arranging the Kanwar Yatras, which transport thousands of pilgrims from Indore to Ujjain, is Golu Shukla. He also has the reputation of being a strongman who gives to "chhapariyas," however.

Clout and humility are at odds with one another. According to a businessman, "the Congress candidate is the son of veteran Mahesh Joshi and he supported the business people during the Covid lockdown."

The Congress finds itself in a peculiar predicament in Indore-4 when the BJP labels their candidate Raja Mandhwani, a Sindhi, as a Pakistani.

Mandhwani's ancestors originated in Sindh, which is now in Pakistan, despite the fact that he was born and raised in Indore. If the BJP wins, they claim, Diwali will be celebrated in Pakistan.

In Indore-5, Congress nominee Satyanarayan Patel is fighting hard to unseat BJP incumbent Mandra Hardiya, who is up for three terms as an MLA.

In Sanwer, young Rina Baurasi, the rebellious daughter of Congress politician Premchand Guddu, is engaged in a bitter struggle with minister Tulsiram Silawat, who won on a Congress ticket in 2018 but then switched to the BJP alongside Jyotiradiya Scindia.

The Congress intends to win at least two of the district's three remaining seats, Rau, Depalpur, and Mhow. The Congress should be pleased with four out of nine victories in Indore, which is regarded as an RSS-BJP stronghold.