The Bharatiya Janata Party is a significant political party in India and one of the two major political entities, alongside the Indian National Congress. It has held the position of the ruling political party in India since 2014, with Narendra Modi serving as the incumbent Prime Minister. The BJP is aligned with right-wing politics, and its principles are rooted in Hindutva, a Hindu nationalist ideology. The party maintains close ideological and organizational connections with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a volunteer paramilitary organization. As of September 2023, the BJP stands as the largest political party in the country in terms of representation in the Parliament of India and state legislatures. The party traces its origins to the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, established in 1951 by Indian politician Shyama Prasad Mukherjee. After the Emergency of 1975–1977, the Jana Sangh amalgamated with several other political parties to create the Janata Party, which went on to defeat the then-incumbent Indian National Congress in the 1977 general election.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is set to initiate a three-day outreach program across 65,000 booths in 12,000 locations in the poll-bound state on October 16. According to sources within the party, this outreach initiative marks the commencement of the BJP’s election campaign, which will be followed by doorstep engagement and public rallies. Termed as “booth vijay abhiyan” (victory campaign), party members will pledge their commitment to securing the BJP’s success at every booth in Madhya Pradesh.
In Madhya Pradesh, the BJP state wing has announced plans to release a fifth list, referred to as ‘dhamakedar,’ for the upcoming Assembly elections scheduled for the next month. There is speculation that Central Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia might consider contesting for a state position, aligning with the BJP’s strategy of fielding notable candidates, including Union Ministers and MPs with strong local ties, in each state. This potential move by Scindia comes after his aunt, Yashodhara Raje Scindia, opted out of the election due to health reasons.
The ruling party has already disclosed the candidates for the upcoming election, including Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, 24 ministers, and 57 lawmakers. Out of the 230 Assembly seats, 136 candidates have been named, with decisions pending for the remaining 94 candidates at an upcoming Central Election Committee meeting. However, the political future of nine ministers, such as Mahendra Singh Sisodiya, OPS Bhadoria, Brijendra Singh Yadav, and Suresh Dhakad, remains uncertain. Elections are set to be held in the five crucial states of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana, and Mizoram between November 7 and 30, with the results slated for declaration on December 3, as announced by the Election Commission on Monday.