Revealed: How BJP turned the tide in Madhya Pradesh

An effective booth-level strategy, strong organisational manoeuvre and the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan are among the key factors that turned the tide in favour of the Bharatiya Janata Party in the Madhya Pradesh assembly polls.

Popularly known as mama (maternal uncle), Chouhan is hugely popular among the masses, especially women and youngsters, while the MP ke man mein Modi (Modi in the mind of MP) campaign also helped consolidate the support for the BJP in the state, party leaders said.

According to the trends of counting of votes, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is all set to retain power in Madhya Pradesh with an emphatic win over the Congress.

One of the challenges that the saffron party faced in the run-up to the election was internal factionalism and de-motivated workers.

The task was to get everyone working together at the organisational level for the ultimate cause of bringing the BJP back to power in the state, sources in the party said.

"The leaders drafted in for the state by the central leadership, including national joint general secretary (organisation) Shiv Prakash, played a crucial role in bringing together the various groups within the party and motivating the workers with their exceptional organisational skills," a source said.

The sources said Shiv Prakash and other leaders sent by the party high-command devised a strategy of assigning 14 senior leaders to 14 districts, where they interacted with the local functionaries as well as the elected representatives of the municipal corporations and panchayats.

They organised more than 50 meetings where Chouhan listened to the grievances and suggestions of the party workers.

The sources said the BJP leaders' simple and straightforward behaviour as well as constituency visits and the stay of senior leaders in the state played "a big role" in strengthening the mutual trust and coordination among the workers up to the booth level.

An effective poll strategy and campaigns by Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP chief J P Nadda and other leaders created a wave in favour of the party, they added.

The mera booth sabse majboot campaign launched by Modi in Bhopal with an eye on the assembly polls in five states and the 2024 Lok Sabha election helped the party strengthen its organisation at the booth level, the sources said.

Another factor that contributed to the party's grand success in the Madhya Pradesh polls was Chouhan's "charisma".

While the announcement of the ladli behna scheme by the chief minister ahead of the polls helped the BJP consolidate women's votes, the sustained campaigns of the party highlighting its "double-engine" government's achievements in Madhya Pradesh served as an effective counter to the Congress's poll pitch, the sources added.

Besides hailing Modi, Chouhan also mentioned Union ministers Ashwani Vaishnaw and Bhupender Yadav as well as Shiv Prakash among those having worked for the huge victory of the BJP in the state.