Development issues take centre stage in high-stakes battle for Vidisha

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Anup Dutta

Vidisha, May 2

Vidisha has been a saffron bastion right from 1967 when it had its first election. Ordinarily, nobody bothers to debate which party will win this time. However, the contest is keenly watched because the Congress has propped up two-term MP Pratap Bhanu Sharma against BJP stalwart and former Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan, a five-term parliamentarian from here.

Of the eight Assembly segments in the high-profile Lok Sabha segment, spread over Sehore, Raisen, Vidisha and Dewas districts, at least three — Budhni, Bhojpur and Sanchi — have been grappling with development issues, including frequent power outages and poor education infrastructure.

Voters and party workers in these Assembly segments are anxious. “We get free ration, but the quality of grain is poor. Usually, foodgrain is served to the cattle. Despite several attempts, my wife is unable to become a beneficiary of the Ladli Behna (monthly income support of Rs 1,250 for poor women started by Chouhan last year), as officials have withheld my application,” rues Parasaram Harle, a resident of Budhni town.

“My sons went to a government school. The school infrastructure has deteriorated after private ones started gaining prominence,” says 45-year-old Parasaram, a Dalit. Harle, a fruit-seller, feels powerful people in society corner the benefits that one can derive from living in a VIP seat (former CM Chouhan is the sitting MLA from the Budhni Assembly segment).

His struggle to cope up with financial and social inequality is acknowledged by Rajesh Prajapati, a resident of Berkheda village of Bhojpur segment. Unhappy with the state and Central government schemes, he says: “Every time I approach officials for a beneficiary card, they refuse citing one reason or the other. We are unable to draw benefits of government schemes as we can’t pay hefty bribes.”

“I am finding it hard to make both ends meet with a salary of Rs 8,000,” adds Prajapati, who works a driver, adding rising prices have reduced his purchasing power.

There are others who feel voters can’t be won by populist schemes and branding alone; politicians and political parties must work harder.

“Nowadays, women are getting precedence in elections because of special schemes,” says Dhan Singh pointing to a Laadli Behna poster hung across the road leading to the Sanchi stupas, a UNESCO world heritage site.

Some others feel the May 7 poll may not be a walk in the park for the BJP despite having an easy run in the Assembly elections last year. “I think, people are going to cast their vote cautiously,” says Bahadur Singh in Sanchi.

The trading community is not enthused either. “I wish to ask former CM Chouhan what he has done for the constituency during his five terms,” says former PHDCCI president and social worker Rajendra Kothari, pointing to a 2007 incident wherein the Planning Commission had to send a team to monitor implementation of the midday meal scheme in schools after irregularities were found. With falling turnout in the first two phases of polling nationwide so far, the BJP and Congress workers are looking to gauge the voter sentiment ahead of the crucial vote.