Battleground Vidarbha: Cong on decline, BJP on steady rise

SPECIAL REPORT

* Delivering its most stupendous performance so far, BJP gained all 10 Lok Sabha seats in elections held earlier this year. BJP, which had alliance with Shiv Sena intact then, had secured a lead in 58 out of total 62 Assembly segments in 10 LS seats in the region.
By Kartik Lokhande 
Vidarbha has always been an important battleground for political parties, in Lok Sabha as well as Maharashtra Legislative Assembly elections. As all the major political parties are contesting independently, and many rebels are contesting as Independent candidates, the Assembly polls have become more interesting this time.
Against this backdrop if one takes a look at the Assembly election results between 1962 and 2009, and Lok Sabha elections held earlier this year, it comes out that Congress has been on a steady decline while Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has seen steady rise over the years. Congress has been reduced from 45 out of total 63 Assembly seats in 1962, to 24 in 2009. BJP, which contested some of the initial elections as Jan Sangh (JS) and Bharatiya Jan Sangh and Janata Party (JP), has increased its tally steadily from mere two in 1967 to 19 in 2009.
Congress delivered its best-ever performance in Assembly elections in the years 1972 and 1980 when it won 55 out of 63 and 66 seats respectively. BJP registered its best-ever performance in Assembly polls in 1995 when it won 22 out of total 66 seats. This year, after breaking up alliance of 25 years, BJP and Shiv Sena both are contesting independently. The results of previous elections reveal that BJP has always won more number of seats than Shiv Sena in Vidarbha. Even in 2009, BJP won 19 seats while Shiv Sena could win only eight seats.
Sources attribute this to ever-expanding network of BJP throughout Vidarbha, and anti-incumbency against Congress. Further, BJP concentrated on expanding its network to rural parts of Vidarbha by focussing on systematic wins in Gram Panchayat, Panchayat Samiti, Zilla Parishad elections. In the past 20 years, it also channelised its energies on winning municipal council and municipal corporation elections. Its leaders increased their mobility and visibility despite being in the Opposition in Legislative Assembly. On the other hand, despite being in power, Congress and NCP’s ministers were not seen much in public except for occasions like official programmes. Besides, in several major centres, Congress and NCP leaders either stayed away from local body elections or rivalled each other.
The result of all this was seen in the Lok Sabha elections held earlier this year. In 2014 Lok Sabha polls, for the first time, BJP-Shiv Sena alliance swept all 10 seats in Vidarbha region. These 10 seats included 60 Assembly segments. Though Vidarbha has total 62 Assembly segments after delimitation in 2009, two of these namely Umarkhed (Yavatmal) and Malkapur (Buldhana) are in Hingoli and Raver Lok Sabha constituencies of adjoining regions of Marathwada and Khandesh. Even if one considers these two Assembly segments, that is, total 62 segments in Vidarbha, BJP-Shiv Sena alliance candidates secured lead in as many as 58. This was never-before spectacular performance for BJP. Congress-NCP alliance candidates could get lead over rivals only in four Assembly segments, during Lok Sabha elections.
The incumbent Congress-NCP got such a beating in Lok Sabha polls that its ministers in Maharashtra Government also could not secure lead to its candidates in Assembly segments represented by them. The then Congress ministers namely EGS Minister Dr Nitin Raut (North Nagpur), Minister of State Ranjit Kamble (Deoli), Environment Minister Sanjay Deotale (Warora), Social Justice Minister Shivajirao Moghe (Arni), Deputy Speaker of Legislative Assembly Vasant Purke (Ralegaon) could not secure lead to Congress-NCP candidates in respective segments. Similar was the case with NCP leader and Food and Civil Supplies Minister Anil Deshmukh, who failed in getting lead for Congress-NCP alliance in his Assembly segment of Katol.
Interestingly, most of them are contesting Legislative Assembly elections now. Except for Sanjay Deotale, who switched over sides and is contesting as BJP candidate, others are contesting on tickets of respective parties.
Even during the Legislative Assembly election campaigning that came to an end on Monday evening, it was the BJP that conducted the highest number of public meetings, rallies, and road shows. Though Congress, NCP, and Shiv Sena tried to do their best, most of their top leaders could not travel extensively and address as many meetings as possible in Vidarbha region. From BJP’s side, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed five campaign meetings in the region. On the other hand, Congress’ top leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi addressed only two meetings each. Modi addressed a massive public meeting in Nagpur city, the nerve-centre of Vidarbha, but Sonia Gandhi stayed away from it. Rahul Gandhi preferred to address a meeting at Ramtek, part of Nagpur rural. 

Published in The Hitavada CityLine as lead on October 14, 2014