New Delhi, November 29
The campaigning for crucial Assembly elections in four states ended today at 5 pm, giving 39 hours to political parties and their candidates to start the last leg of persuasive and sometimes coercive mode of electioneering.
Over 9 crore voters would press buttons on tens of thousands of electronic voting machines (EVMs) on Monday to decide the fate of candidates in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Delhi where the Congress is trying hard to retain power and the BJP making all out efforts to dislodge it.
The campaigning took a queer turn when a videotape showing former Minister of State for Environment and Forest Dilip Singh Judeo accepting money surfaced, sending the BJP into a tizzy and the Congress trying to cash in on the issue of corruption.
But then, the BJP fought back with vengence and tried to put the Congress on the back foot.
The campaigning was marked by stars with all political parties bringing in Bollywood actors to attract voters’ attention.
In Madhya Pradesh, the Congress is fighting the anti-incumbency factor and making frantic efforts to retain power for the third consecutive term with caste-based politics playing a decisive role.
The campaign for the chief ministerial post also witnessed a pitched verbal dual between Chief Minister Digvijay Singh and BJP leader Uma Bharti.
The Congress highlighted its achievements of the past 10 years, while the BJP attacked it on the lack of development in the state.
The ruling party has fielded 229 candidates for the 230-member House, leaving one for the
Republican Party of India, while the BJP is contesting all seats.
In Chhattisgarh, having an electorate of 13.5 million, including 6.72 million women, the electioneering remained peaceful except for Naxal violence in tribal Bastar and Sarguja regions.
A total of 819 candidates, including 62 women, are in the fray for the 90-member Assembly. Unlike in the other three states, the BJP did not project anyone as its chief ministerial candidate in Chhattisgarh.
The electioneering remained “Jogi-centric” throughout with the BJP and the NCP targeting the Chief Minister.
Rajasthan witnessed a star-studded and peaceful campaigning. Among the major political parties, the Congress has fielded its nominees in all 200 seats, while the BJP is contesting 197 seats.
Around 3.4 crore electors, including around 1.6 crore women, would exercise their franchise through electronic voting machines (EVMs) to decide the fate of 1,541 contestants at 35,689 polling stations.
The ruling party is banking on the development plank and its performance over the past five years, while the BJP is calling for a positive change (‘parivartan’).
With 70 seats up for grabs in Delhi, the ruling Congress and the opposition BJP went all out to woo voters.
The Congress made development and its government’s achievements during the past five years its main election plank, while the BJP tried to focus on issues like banning conversion by force, granting sops to the middle class. A total of 817 candidates are in the fray.
