New Delhi, August 28, 2023: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has revealed its plans for the Jan Ashirvad Yatra, a campaign aimed at rallying support before the upcoming Madhya Pradesh elections.
Unlike previous instances in 2008, 2013, and 2018, the yatra will initiate from five different locations and will not be spearheaded by a single leader, a departure from the past where Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had led the yatra.
Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, the convener of the state BJP election management panel, faced questions regarding Chouhan’s absence from leading the yatra and the party’s stance on projecting a chief ministerial candidate. He responded, “The party believes in collective and not individual leadership. Chouhan is our chief minister. He will participate in the yatra for at least half the duration…[Union minister] Jyotiraditya Scindia and other party leaders will also do the same….”
Since 2003, the BJP has predominantly governed Madhya Pradesh, with only a brief 18-month interruption between 2018 and 2020. Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visits to the state have been strategic attempts to mitigate anti-incumbency sentiments and internal conflicts. Chouhan’s recent Cabinet expansion was aimed at similar objectives.
The upcoming elections in Madhya Pradesh and four other states, which collectively represent about 15% of India’s population, are anticipated to set the tone for the 2024 national elections. The Congress party aims to regain power in Madhya Pradesh after briefly holding it in 2018 before losing it in March 2020 due to defections.
Union Minister Tomar highlighted that the yatra’s objective is to raise awareness about the development initiatives undertaken in Madhya Pradesh under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Chouhan. “The party is going to retain power and the state will contribute to India’s journey to becoming a developed nation by 2047,” Tomar emphasized.
The yatra’s structure has been revamped to cover the maximum distance in 18 days, spanning 210 assembly constituencies and 10,641 kilometers. The yatra’s inauguration will take place on September 3 in Chitrakoot, with Union Home Minister Amit Shah officiating the event. The campaign will conclude in Bhopal, expected to attract a participation of one million BJP workers.
State BJP chief VD Sharma stated that the party has extended invitations to Prime Minister Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and BJP Chief JP Nadda to flag off the yatra from separate locations in the regions of Mandla, Khandwa, Ujjain, and Sheopur over the next five days.
