JOIN USThe ruling Bhartiya Janata Party in Madhya Pradesh is upbeat after emerging victorious in majority of the seats in the recent local body polls in tribal areas by virtually uprooting the Congress from its strongholds.
To add to the woes of Congress, the BJP also wrested five Assembly seats in the bypolls (held from time-to-time from 2008 till June, 2012) which is giving party leaders sleepless nights even as it aims to make a good show in the 2013 general elections in the state.
“Both Chhindwara and Jhabua are Congress strongholds and any defeat in these seats is not a good sign for the Congress which is desperately working on its mission-2013 to get back to power.
The party has remained out of power in the state since 2003,” a senior Congress leader said on condition of anonymity.
Congress could not win even in places like Jhabua and Chhindwara represented by State Congress president Kantilal Bhuria and high profile Union minister Kamal Nath, respectively.
The BJP is buoyed also by winning in the traditional Congress bastions of Mandla and Dhar.
The opposition party came a poor third even from ward no 12 (Gopal Colony area) where Bhuria resides in Jhabua town.
People’s support
Terming the success in Congress-dominated tribal areas as a victory of BJP’s ideology, Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said it was sign of people’s support to the development.
Out of the total 49 local bodies situated in tribal areas where polls were held in two phases earlier this month, the ruling BJP candidates won the post of chairman and mayor at 36 places and their allies two seats.
The Congress managed to win only at seven places while Independents captured four chairman and mayoral posts.
The five Assembly seats which the BJP wrested from Congress in the bypolls since 2008 are Tendukheda, Sonkatch, Jabera, Kukshi and recently Maheshwar.