Madhya Pradesh elections: BJP releases list of 40 star campaigners to retain power

With an aim to retain power in Madhya Pradesh, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is sparing no effort. Amidst reports of mounting anti-incumbency, the BJP on Tuesday released a list of 40 star campaigners which feature everybody from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

Among the other star campaigners on the list are BJP president Amit Shah, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Textile Minister Smriti Irani and actor-turned-BJP legislator Hema Malini.

Former Chief Minister Babulal Gaur is also in the list, but this time he may be denied a ticket from Govindpura. He had earlier threatened to contest as an independent candidate if denied a ticket. However, he reversed his stance on Monday.

It is to be noted that the BJP government led by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has been in power in Madhya Pradesh since 15 years.

On the other side, state Congress-led by party leaders Kamal Nath and Jyotiraditya Scindia have already announced of winning Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections. While Scindia represents Guna in the Lok Sabha, Kamal Nath is a nine-time parliamentarian from Chhindwara.

Interestingly, the upcoming election in Madhya Pradesh, however, is unlikely to be a two-horse race. Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has said that it will play a key role in the formation of the next government in Madhya Pradesh if voters deliver a fractured mandate.

“We will win at least 32 seats in the 230-seat state assembly. If neither the BJP nor the Congress gets a majority, the Congress will have to support us to form the next government,” state BSP president Pradeep Ahirwar said recently.

Elections will be held in Madhya Pradesh on November 28. The counting of votes counted will be held on December 11. While the Congress is yet to declare its chief ministerial candidate, CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan filed his nomination papers from Budhni in Sehore district on Monday.

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