It is for the first time that the Congress captured all the three local bodies in the elections held on the same day. The three local bodies are Mandideep Municipal Committee, Maihar Municipal committee and Ishagarh Nagar Parishad.

The Congress emerged triumphant in the polls-claiming the top posts and scoring a majority of the corporator seats-despite chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan campaigning for party candidates.

Congress candidate Dharmesh Ghai defeated the BJP’s Dheeraj Prasad Pandey with a margin of 4,035 votes to win Satna district’s Maihar Nagar Palika Parishad’s president post. He polled 14,185 votes against his rival’s 10,150 votes.

In neighbouring Raisen district, Badri Singh of the Congress defeated Rajendra Kumar Agrawal of the BJP in Mandideep Nagar Palika Parishad elections with a margin of 5,311 votes. He got 18,731 votes while Agrawal secured 13,420.

Bhupendra Narain of Congress defeated the BJP candidate Hariballabh with a margin of 1,268 votes to win the president’s post in Ashok Nagar district’s Isagarh Parishad.

Though Ishagarh is not the BJP’s bastion, the party’s defeat in Maihar Nagar Palika Parishad where it registered an emphatic win in the state assembly seat by-poll barely five months ago – caused a major flutter in political circles. Its poor show in Mandideep where former chief minister Sunderlal Patwa wields a lot of political influence, also gave rise to concern within the BJP.

The Congress won 12 seats in Maihar against the BJP’s 11 and BSP’s 1, It also has 13 corporators in Mandideep against the BJP’s 12 and one Independent. In Ishagarh, the Congress won 11 seats against the BJP’s four.

Infighting in the BJP for dominance over the local politics, faulty selection of candidates and overdependence on Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s campaign are said to be some of the reasons behind the party’s poor show.

It may be mentioned here that Mandideep and Maihar are represented by BJP in the Vidhan Sabha. Mandideep is one of the major industrial towns of the state about 20Kms from Bhopal.

The party lost these local bodies after the reconstitution of the state ministry. Some observers feel that the humiliating way in which Babulal Gaur, perhaps at present senior most legislator in the country, was dropped from the ministry has to some extent influenced the results. Similarly removal of Sartaj Singh, only. Sikh Minister may have affected the result in Mandideep which is just 60 Kms away from the Vidhan Sabha seat which Sartaj Singh represents. Gaur represents Bhopal in the Vidhan Sabha.

There are many dissident voices in the ruling party raising accusing finger at the state BJP leadership. Some are doing so in private and some are publicly. Raghunandan Sharma, senior vice president in the state is the first BJP leader who publicly blamed chief minister Shivraj Singh for the three defeats. Sharma, who had earlier came in the limelight by terming chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan as ‘Ghoshnaveer’, has once again launched an attack on the latter. Sharma holds that the stand of State Government on reservation in promotions is one of the major reasons behind defeat of the party in three local body polls held recently. Sharma said it would be better if action was taken after high court’s decision. Sharma claimed that the state government advocating reservation for SC-ST, has divided people into two camps and one of the camps is annoyed with the government.

Earlier, Chouhan in a rally conducted by AJAKS, had announced that ‘Koi Mai Ka Laal Arakshan Nahi Samapta Kar Sakta’ (No one can end reservations). Chouhan’s statement did not go well with people belonging to general category and they had reacted sharply. During the meeting of the BJP state working committee, Jai Singh Kushwaha had opposed government’s stand on reservation in promotion.

The latest defeat of the party will also reflect on organisational general secretary Suhas Bhagat. The party did not face such defeat during the tenure of its former organisational general secretary Arvind Menon. Bhagat had a discussion on this matter with RSS leaders too. RSS leaders have also begun reviewing the step taken by Chouhan on reservation in promotion issue.

The seats of local body polls of Maihar, Mandideep and Isagarh were of general category and the outcome has hinted that resentment is brewing in general category against the BJP. Sharma maintains that not only reservation, the corruption in the government is also the reason behind the defeat. Sharma said people, who think themselves above the party, are dominating the show. Sources said Chouhan has severely reprimanded BJP leaders of the concerned areas on the defeat.

Critical voices from the ruling party benches were also heard in the Vidhan Sabha whose monsoon session has begun from July 18. Inefficient management of post-flood situation in Bhopal attracted criticising besides from opposition party from a section of the ruling party also. Faulty and delayed distribution of relief material was the major issue which was repeatedly raised in the Vidhan Sabha. (IPA Service)