Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections, to be held next year, are expected to be very interesting as there is a possibility of a close contest between the two major parties, the BJP and the Congress.
However, it is the emergence of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) which could be worrisome for both the parties.
There has always been a possibility of the BJP's vote share getting shifted towards other political parties in the state. In the previous Assembly polls as well, candidates of the Gondwana Party, Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, Bharatiya Janshakti Party and Ajay Bharat Party have won.
But eventually, the strength of these third parties weakened. However, it is the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP which is now considered as a new player in Madhya Pradesh, after it made a splash in the urban local body polls.
In Singrauli Municipal Corporation, AAP's mayor and 40 councillors were elected, which, in terms of numbers, may be small but has helped the party mark its emergence in the state.
In the 2018 Assembly elections, 114 candidates of the Congress were elected, while 109 BJP candidates won. However, the Congress government lasted for only a year and a half, due to the defection of MLAs, after which, the BJP returned to power.
In the urban body elections, the Congress got 5 mayors while the BJP had nine, which points towards Madhya Pradesh witnessing one of its most interesting Assembly polls in 2023.
The AAP has also started preparing for the election. It is currently doing volunteer mapping and is trying to have volunteers in every village.
Presently, the AAP's emphasis is on proper organisation at the grassroots level, after which it will increase its political activities rapidly. Currently, the party is also excited about its big initial success in the urban body elections.
Senior AAP leader Akshay Hunka said that his party will fight the upcoming Assembly elections with full preparation and strength.
Political analysts believe that the entry of the AAP into the electoral fray will prove to be troublesome for both the BJP and the Congress, as there will be dissatisfaction among both the parties and the number of rebels will be more than in the last elections.
These rebels from both the parties could be fielded as AAP candidates which could be worrisome for both the Congress and the BJP.
—IANS