Election Commission, BJP, Congress, voters, and other sections of society among others are gearing up for Chhattisgarh assembly polls due in November. The BJP has declared candidates on 21 seats till now, most of them are representatives of panchayat bodies.

In an expected move, the saffron party has promoted a second line of leadership and is all set to fight the elections under collective leadership without projecting three-time CM Raman Singh as the party's face. Poll pundits are seeing this as an end of the Raman Singh era in the tribal-dominated state.

The BJP suffered a massive defeat in the 2018 Chhattisgarh Assembly election after being in power for 15 years under Raman Singh. Strong anti-incumbency, OBCs favouring Congress, corruption charges, and lack of coordination between party organisation were factors that cost the party in the election.

Here is a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis of the BJP in Chhattisgarh.

STRENGTHS:

> The popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the key for the party in any election in the country. After the 2018 debacle, the BJP made an impressive comeback by capturing nine out of 11 Lok Sabha seats in 2019, riding high on the strong image of Modi.

However, PM Modi's magic failed to impress voters in the last assembly election.

> The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), which micro-manages the party's local campaign, is visibly active on the ground this time. RSS had distanced itself in 2018.

WEAKNESSES:

> The absence of a strong CM face is a big disadvantage for the party via-a-vis Congress. The party had found a strong face in Raman Singh, whose invisible image is tarnished by 2018 defeat.

> Chhattisgarh BJP also faces a strong second-rung leadership in the state.

> BJP’s long-used political issues pertaining to soft Hindutva and cows & Lord Ram have been snatched by the Congress.

"In July 2020, CM Baghel launched the Godhan Nyay Yojana (GNY) to procure cow dung at Rs 2 per kg, constructed Gauthans (places in villages where cows are kept in day-time) in villages, which are being converted into Rural Industrial Parks," PTI reported.

> The state government has undertaken the ‘Ram Van Gaman Tourism Circuit’ project and started developing nine places on the route (in Chhattisgarh) taken by Lord Ram during his 14-year exile, as tourist destinations. The Bhupesh Bhaghel government has so far erected four tall statues of Lord Ram in these places.

OPPORTUNITIES:

> There is perceptible anger among people against the ruling Congress over alleged scams in the Chhattisgarh Public Service Commission and liquor trade.

> Alleged differences among frontline Congress leaders appear to have disappeared at the top, but tension still persists at the bottom level.

> The BJP feels that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Sarva Adivasi Samaj candidates will eat into the support base of Congress.

THREATS:

> The Congress currently bagged 68 seats with over 42% vote while the BJP’s count is 13 with nearly 10% less vote. According to poll observers, the BJP faces a tough challenge to bridge this huge margin.

> The Congress has strongly promoted regionalism to counter the BJP's nationalism.

> According to experts, the Congress government’s pro-farmer schemes have helped the party to consolidate its position in rural and semi-urban areas of the state. Its three flagship schemes – Rajiv Gandhi Kisan Nyay Yojana, Godhan Nyaya Yojana (cow dung procurement schemes) and Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Bhomihin Krishi Majdoor Krishi Nyay Yojana have garnered praise from a section of the masses.

Also Read: Chhattisgarh Elections 2023: Corruption to tribal rights, here are issues to dominate BJP vs Congress fight

First Published:Oct 11, 2023 12:00 AM IST