Priyanka Gandhi reaches poll-bound MP, offers Narmada puja; BJP takes dig as political battle begins [details]

After Karnataka, the next political battle for 2024 will be fought in Madhya Pradesh. Essentially a two-party state, in Madhya Pradesh, the fight simply comes down to Congress vs BJP as the regional parties have never featured prominently in its political landscape.

On Monday, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra reached Jabalpur to launch the party's campaign ahead of polls. Prior to the campaign kick-off, she commenced her visit with a prayer on the banks of the river Narmada. Jabalpur, a politically significant state, located in the Mahakoshal region of Madhya Pradesh, has a major chunk of the tribal voters.

Gandhi, introduced the party's campaign Sankalp 2023, by addressing a public gathering and hit out at BJP over unemployment and inflation, among several other issues. Taking a jibe at the Shivraj Chouhan government, Gandhi said that the BJP had created, "only 21 government jobs in the state." She added, "I have seen several double, triple-engine governments, but people of Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka gave a befitting reply to them."

BJP hits back

Accompanied by Congress MP Kamal Nath, Gandhi also performed Narmada puja in the city during her day-long visit to the poll-bound state. The event evoked a strong response from the rival BJP, with senior BJP leader and MP Home Minister Narottam Mishra saying that Gandhi was sharing the dais with leaders who made derogatory and defamatory remarks against women. Calling her a "chunavi Hindu," he also said, "that Priyanka Gandhi remembers temples, Ganga and Narmada Maiya only at the time of elections."

Last election, same state

Of the total 230 seats in Madhya Pradesh, the Congress party won 114 seats in the 2018 assembly elections. Comparatively, the saffron party's tally was five less at 109 seats. Despite being a little short of a simple majority, the Congress formed the government with the help of four independent candidates.

'Operation Lotus' and the politics of numbers

However, the state government, led by Congress minister Kamal Nath, could not last as in March 2020, the party disintegrated with 22 Congress MLAs joining the arch-rival BJP. Among the notable names joining the BJP was Jyotiraditya Scindia, in the mass resignation politically nick-named as 'Operation Lotus.' On March 23, 2020, BJP's Shivraj Singh Chouhan took oath as the Chief Minister.