GGP-BSP may spoil equations for BJP & Cong in Mahakoshal

Bhopal: It’s often the bordering districts of Madhya Pradesh — Vindhya, Chambal and Bundelkhand — where the ‘third forces’ particularly Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), have had any kind of impact in assembly polls. It was in 2003 that Gondwana Gantantra Party (GGP), a party claiming to represent Gond tribals, seemed to be making a breakthrough in state politics by winning three seats in Mahakoshal and finishing second on two more seats. But, as usual, both the Congress and the BJP — who may fight tooth & nail between themselves but never allow a third party to come up in the political sphere — saw to it that the GGP doesn’t develop into a potential political force. The GGP got split much the same way as the BSP after it mustered 11% votes in MP, and as many seats, in 1998. Both the BSP and GGP could never make a palpable impact in MP politics after that. However, this time, they are together. The ‘third force’ is flexing its muscles. There is a feeling that if Dalit votes are committed to the BSP and tribal votes to the GGP, together may make a difference in the poll outcome in many seats in Mahakoshal Going by the results of 2018 assembly election, there were five of 38 seats in Mahakoshal, where the ‘third force’ together secured 15% or more seats. This time, they may have an impact on the results even on seats that were won by Congress in the previous election. In both Dindori and Shapur seats in Dindori district, the two parties together had secured more than 15% votes and in this election, since the Congress which had won both the seats in 2018 election, has a rebel candidate on each of the two seats, the votes going to GGP-BSP alliance may make more impact on the election results than the previous election. In Shahura in 2018 election, GGP candidate Ranjeet Singh Maravi had bagged 30,995 votes (15.91%), while the BSP candidate managed to get only 2,568 votes (1.33%). However, a close contest may prove to be decisive if their votes are combined. In Dindori, Omkar Marawi of the Congress had won the seat with 85,039 votes and the GGP candidate Ganga Singh Patta got 28,274 votes (15.23%) and the BSP candidate bagged 1528 votes (0.82%). But with another potential Congress rebel in the fray, the GGP-BSP alliance may turn the table on the Congress. In the Bichhiya seat of Mandla district, Narayan Singh Patta of the Congress had won the election, bagging 76,544 votes and GGP candidate Kamlesh Tekam, who finished third after the BJP candidate, had secured 32,417 votes while the BSP candidate got 1,992 votes. In Lakhnadon seat of Seoni district, Congress party’s Yogendra Singh Baba had won the election with 82,951 votes but the GGP candidate Inder Singh Uike bagged 40,022 votes and the BSP candidate 2,843 votes. In Amarwada constituency of Chhindwara district, Congress’s Kamlesh Pratap Shah had won the election followed by Manmohan Shah Batti of the GGP who finished second ahead of the BJP candidate while the BSP candidate bagged 2,099 votes.