The model code of conduct has come into force in the state. The code will result in all developmental activities coming to a grinding halt. All government decisions were put on the hold for months during the Lok Sabha polls earlier this year and the same will happen again now. It will not be before the New Year that the government will be in the position to do its job freely.

The first step in the process of elections to urban civic bodies was the decision about reservation for women, SCs, STs and OBCs. This was done through draw of lots. The posts of Mayor in the 14 Municipal Corporations of the state were decided through lottery. The Mayorship of Bhopal has been reserved for women of general category. The posts of Mayor of Katni, Khandwa, Burhanpur, Ratlam, Indore, Rewa, Gwalior, Satna, Dewas, Ujjain and Singrauli have been reserved for various categories.

At present, out of the Municipal Corporations, only two have Congress Mayors and one an Independent. All the remaining Corporations are headed by BJP Mayors. Thus, BJP has a very high stake in the elections. If anti-incumbency comes into play — as it did in the Lok Sabha polls — then the BJP may lose control over many Municipal Corporations. If it so happens, the prestige of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan will be affected.

A cautious BJP has already drawn up its poll strategy. The party is trying to woo the city dwellers by blaming the savage price-rise, especially of wheat, pulses, sugar and edible oil, on the Congress-led Union government. Hardly a day passes when BJP workers do not hold demonstrations, dharnas, etc to protest price rise in one town or the other.

While the BJP is trying to turn the people against the Congress on the issue of price rise, the Congress is not taking any decisive steps to counter the offensive and nor is it launching its own offensive. In fact, there are several issues on which the Congress can paint the ruling BJP into a corner. Among them is the erratic power supply. People are facing great hardship due to long, unscheduled power cuts. The worst affected are small towns and rural areas, which have to do without power for 12 to 18 hours a day.

Frequent interruptions in power supply also mean that industries suffer—and so does employment. Then, surgeries cannot be performed in hospitals, teaching is affected in schools and colleges and the telecom system too gives way. There are some feeble protests against the power cuts but these are mainly spontaneous outbursts of the common man. The Congress is doing nothing to tap the popular resentment over the power crunch.

It may be recalled that in the 2003 assembly polls, the BJP could overthrow the Congress government by massive mobilisation on the “Bijli-Paani-Sadak (Power, water, road) issue. Ms. Uma Bharati successfully put the then Digvijay Singh government in the dock on the issue and inflicted a crushing defeat on the Congress.

Besides elusive power, there are several other issues which could have been exploited by the Congress to consolidate its position. One such issue is the induction of tainted MLAs in the council of ministers. Narottam Mishra, Vijay Shah and Ajay Vishnoi were inducted into the ministry last month, though they are facing serious charges, All of them were members of the ministry when Mr. Chauhan had assumed chief ministership in November 2005. However, all got embroiled in scandals and were forced to resign. They are yet to be exonerated but the chief minister has chosen to re-induct them. Mr. Bishnoi was forced to resign when his name surfaced in a multi-crore medicine purchase scam. Many senior officers were punished after the scam was uncovered. The charges against Shah and Mishra were also so serious that Chauhan did not give them ministerial assignments, although all the three were re-elected to the assembly in 2008 elections.

The Congress could have used this as a convenient stick to the beat the BJP with. However, it chose to maintain a silence on the issue. In fact, it was the BJP rank and file that played the opposition's role. There were demonstrations and protest dharnas by BJP workers at several places to express their anger over the induction of corrupt ministers. There were many other issues that could have been exploited against the ruling BJP. One such issue is the infighting among the BJP rank and file.

In Bhopal, for example, a tug of war has already started between senior cabinet minister Mr. Babulal Gaur and his rivals. Gaur would like his daughter-in-law Ms. Krishna Gaur to be nominated by the party as the Mayoral candidate, especially since the post has been reserved for women. His lieutenant-turned-foe, the Home minister Mr. Umashankar Gupta is working overtime to ensure that Gaur's “bahu” is kept out of the reckoning.

Similarly, in Indore, another senior cabinet minister Mr. Kailash Vijayvargiya would like to get Mayoral ticket for his confidant and MLA Ramesh Mandola---a name which is an anathema for the Vijayvargiya detractors. In Ujjain, former union minister Mr. Satyanarain Jatia would like to regain his prestige—which had taken a bad beating after his defeat in the Lok Sabha polls and his sister's defeat in the Mayoral elections in 2004—by asserting that the candidate of his choice be nominated.

Another issue which may adversely affect the prospects of the ruling party is that its prestige at the national level has touched an all time low. (IPA Service)