MP's Vindhya Region: Dominated By BJP In 2018, But Congress Eyes A Comeback

New Delhi: The Vindhya region of Madhya Pradesh, which has 30 assembly seats in nine eastern districts, is a politically diverse and evolved area that has given space to various parties and ideologies over the years. The BJP dominated the region in the 2018 assembly elections, winning 24 seats, while the Congress could only manage six. However, the Congress is hopeful of improving its tally in the upcoming polls, while the AAP is aiming to make its debut in the state assembly through this region.

The AAP, led by Arvind Kejriwal, has already made a mark in the region by winning the mayoral seat of Singrauli in 2022. The party has announced candidates on 70 seats across the state, out of which 17 are in Vindhya. The party's state president and Singrauli mayor Rani Agrawal is contesting from the Singrauli assembly seat.

Vindhya Has History Of Electing Different Parties, Ideologies

The region has a history of electing candidates from different parties and ideologies, such as the BSP, the CPI, the CPI(M) and the SP. The BSP has won three Lok Sabha seats from Rewa and several assembly seats from Gurh, Mauganj and Satna. The CPI and CPI(M) have also won assembly seats from Gurh and Sirmour respectively. The SP has also tasted success in the region, with ex-BJP legislator Narayan Tripathi winning from Maihar in 2003. Tripathi has now formed a new party - Vindhya Janata Party - and is contesting from several seats in the region.

The BJP has a strong hold on the OBC, tribal and Dalit voters in the region, thanks to its social engineering and welfare schemes. The party claims that it will repeat its 2018 performance and win 24 to 25 seats in the region. The Congress, on the other hand, says that there is a direct fight between them and the BJP in Vindhya, like the rest of Madhya Pradesh. The party believes that it will win up to 22 seats in the region, as the BJP faces anti-incumbency after ruling the state for almost two decades.

State Congress general secretary Gurmeet Singh Mangu said there is a direct fight between the Congress and BJP in the Vindhya region like the rest of Madhya Pradesh. "I personally believe the Congress will win up to 22 seats (out of 30) in Vindhya Pradesh. The BJP's electoral graph will go down due to anti-incumbency against its government. There is no scope for other parties," he said.

The BJP has fielded two sitting Lok Sabha MPs in the Vindhya region in the assembly polls - Ganesh Singh from Satna and Riti Pathak from Sidhi. Voting to elect a new 230-member state assembly will be held on November 17 and counting will be taken up on December 3.