THE THREE HINDI HEARTLAND STATES OF RAJASTHAN, MADHYA PRADESH AND CHHATTISGARH ARE AMONG the five going to the polls in November, and will be the launch pads for the Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party for the Lok Sabha election in 2024. In most of the 520 assembly seats in these states, the two behemoths of Indian politics will be engaged in direct combat.
If the BJP dominates national politics, the Congress is in power in two of the states and a strong challenger in the third. For the Grand Old Party, currently ruling six states (as junior alliance partner in two), protecting its turf is crucial. For the BJP, which rules 10 states on its own—four in the northeast—and three in alliance, winning these states will cement its place in the heartland.
Being the first big set of polls after 28 Opposition parties came together to form the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance, or INDIA, a comprehensive Congress win will energise the coalition. In fact, the success of the alliance depends hugely on the Congress performance in seats where it is in direct contest with the BJP. Of the 186 Lok Sabha seats where the two face off directly, 65 are in these three states, even though a superlative performance in state polls is no guarantee of victory in the Lok Sabha election. In 2018, the Congress cornered 282 of the 520 assembly seats in the three states, but it was the BJP that walked away with 62 of the 65 parliamentary seats a few months later. That said, the Narendra Modi-led BJP is not one to take chances and is giving these polls its all.
This story is from the November 06, 2023 edition of India Today.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the November 06, 2023 edition of India Today.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
THE AGE OF INFLUENCERS
A TRIBE OF YOUNG, EDUCATED INTERNET WARRIORS IS SHAPING PUBLIC OPINION WITH CURATED VIDEOS ON SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS
Scoring a Century
Manoj Bajpayee has just acted in his 100th project-Bhaiyya Ji
FRAGMENTED RUINS
A new exhibition at Gallery XXL, Mumbai juxtaposes the artworks of an Indian and a Spanish artist
United by Art
Moments in Collapse, SAHMAT's group exhibition at Jawahar Bhawan in Delhi brings together artworks with politically charged themes
In Her Mother's Voice
Vidya Vox's exuberant new EP, Sundari, is primarily in Tamil as a tribute to her mother
"MURDER, HE WROTE"
Ashutosh Rana and Vijay Raaz shine in JioCinema's Murder in Mahim, a web series based on Jerry Pinto's layered crime novel
FLAGRANT VIOLATIONS
Gujarat sees another major tragedy as businesses flout safety norms and officials look away. This time it's 33 lives lost in a blaze at a gaming zone
THWARTED FRANCHISE
Robertsganj, on the southeastern tip of Uttar Pradesh, is a study in how a coalition of other castes often defeats the aspirations of the majority caste among Dalits-in constituencies reserved for the Scheduled Castes
THE LAST FRONTIER
PURVANCHAL HOSTS THE BIGGEST STAR CANDIDATE IN INDIA: NARENDRA MODI IN VARANASI. THAT MAY BE A NO-CONTEST, BUT CRAFTY CASTE PLAY BY THE SP-CONGRESS POSES A CHALLENGE IN THE OTHER DOZEN SEATS
THE FIGHT FOR POLITICAL CAPITAL
Leading the campaign as non-playing captains or taking the electoral field themselves, a whole range of political players exemplify the churn that Punjab's politics is going through