BJP's Five Jan Ashirvad Yatras In Madhya Pradesh 'Decentralised', CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan Not The Face

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is set to initiate five Jan Ashirvad Yatras in the state of Madhya Pradesh, which is headed for assembly elections.

These yatras, scheduled from 3 September, will serve as a platform to communicate the government's accomplishments and shed light on alleged "scandals" of the previous Congress administrations in the state.

Historically, these yatras have played a pivotal role in the BJP's preparatory activities for assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh since 2008. Notably, in the lead-up to every assembly election (2008, 2013, 2018), Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has spearheaded these yatras.

In a departure from tradition, the BJP unveiled a unique approach on Monday (28 August), revealing plans for not one, but five separate yatras to be conducted across various regions of the state between 3 September and 6 September.

Instead of having Chouhan solely lead a single yatra across the state, this time, the yatras will feature the active participation of prominent BJP leaders from the state.

This list includes Union ministers Narendra Singh Tomar and Jyotiraditya Scindia, along with other senior leaders like national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya and state party chief VD Sharma.

Narendra Singh Tomar, Union minister and the convener of BJP's MP Assembly Election Committee, expressed the party's emphasis on collective leadership and its commitment to transcending individualism.

He highlighted that Chouhan will be part of these yatras for half a day each day. Chouhan holds the distinction of being the longest-serving Chief Minister within the BJP across the nation.

The ambitious plan aims to cover 210 out of the 230 assembly seats, spanning a distance of over 10,640 kilometers, within just 18 days. The five yatras will be inaugurated by three prominent national leaders of the BJP.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will initiate the yatras from Chitrakoot, a Hindu pilgrimage site in the Vindhya region, and from Mandla district in the Mahakoshal region, commencing on 3 September and 5 September respectively.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is anticipated to launch the yatras from Khandwa and Neemuch districts in the Malwa-Nimar region on 4 September. The fifth yatra will be initiated from Sheopur in the Gwalior-Chambal region by the national president of the party, JP Nadda, on 6 September.

Tomar explained that the yatra has been decentralised as a novel experiment to encompass the greatest distance within an 18-day period. He noted that previous yatras of this nature used to extend over a duration of 90 to 92 days.

Amidst the buzz, questions about the potential Chief Ministerial candidate for the upcoming elections arose during a press interaction with Narendra Singh Tomar.

Tomar, while addressing the queries, emphasised that certain decisions would be made collectively by him and the party chief, and ultimately ratified by the parliamentary board. Until then, Tomar refrained from providing a definitive response on the matter.

As part of efforts to counteract both anti-incumbency sentiment and internal conflicts, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has made several visits to Madhya Pradesh. In a parallel move, Chouhan recently expanded his Cabinet by inducting three ministers.