New Worry for MP Poll Ticket-seekers: BJP, Cong Stick to 'survey Formula

In view of rising number of candidates for assembly elections to be held in Madhya Pradesh, both the major political parties -- Congress and BJP -- have decided to adopt the ‘survey formula’, which has become a cause of concern for ticket-seekers.

The state assembly elections to be held later this year are not going to be easy for both -- the BJP and the Congress -- the party leaderships are aware of this fact, so they have decided to bet on only those candidates who can win the elections. This is the reason that both these political parties are conducting assembly-wise survey at their own level.

In the 2018 elections in Madhya Pradesh, out of 230 assembly seats, the Congress had won 114, while the BJP bagged 109. Congress did not get full majority but with the support of Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party and Independent MLAs, it formed the government.

The Congress government led by Kamal Nath lasted only for about 15 months and collapsed after 22 MLAs under the leadership of Jyotiraditya Scindia joined the BJP.

Keeping in mind the results of the 2018 assembly elections and the subsequent urban body elections, both the political parties are treading cautiously in view of the forthcoming assembly elections.

At the same time, the ticket-seekers are visiting the party headquarters and politicians, in Bhopal and Delhi. The BJP leaders are constantly telling these claimants that the party will nominate only those whose names appear in the survey.

The senior leaders of Congress and BJP have admitted that the parties are conducting the survey and only the person whose name appears in the survey will be made a candidate. Familyism and patronage of politicians alone will not guarantee ticket. At many places, the leaders are making the contenders to sit together and make them to pledge that they will support the candidate whom the party will nominate.

A claimant who has been preparing for the elections for the last three years says that he has been seeking ticket from the party for the last two elections, but the party did not make him a candidate, on the other hand, a person protected by a big politician was made a candidate and he faced defeat both the times. Now the party is saying that they will give tickets on the basis of survey, in such a situation, the apprehensions are gaining ground whether he will get the ticket or it will go to the person who is protected by the leader.