Why BJP's Hindutva Card May Not Work In Bhupesh Baghel-Led Chhattisgarh?

Chhattisgarh is voting in two phases - voting for the 20 seats in the first phase was held on November 7 and the second phase voting for the 70 seats will be held on November 17.

The Chhattisgarh election is poised to be a close contest between the BJP and the Congress. While the BJP has got the 'Mahadev App' Scam card at the eleventh hour and is using it as a corruption plank against the state government led by Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, the ruling party is betting on several works done in the state including purchase of cow dung and paddy. The Hindutva card has been a key poll plank of the saffron party but the same may not work in Chhattisgarh and there are several reasons for it.

The Congress government in Chhattisgarh seems to have found a counter to the BJP's Hindutva card in the poll-bound state. If the top BJP leaders take credit for building the Ram Temple, the Congress government in Chhattisgarh also doesn't lag behind in claiming credit for the restoration of Mata Kaushalya Ji's temple and the construction of the Ram Gaman Path (the path Lord Ram took during his exile).

Promod Tiwari, Deputy Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, said that Ram temple work will remain incomplete without Mata Kaushalya Ji's temple. "In Chhattisgarh, we aren't trying to reap the benefits of these works in elections. The inauguration of the Ram Temple on 22nd January is solely aimed at gaining an advantage in the 2024 elections," said Tiwari.

About 21 kilometers from Raipur, the capital of Chhattisgarh, lies Chandkhuri village. According to legends, this is the birthplace of Lord Ram's mother Kaushalya. While the construction of Lord Ram's temple is progressing swiftly in Ayodhya, the reconstruction of Mata Kaushalya's temple is also underway here.

It's a different scenario that the date for the installation ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya has been decided, and the work will be completed before the 2024 elections. However, in Chhattisgarh, the work in Mata Kaushalya's village is scheduled to be completed by December 19, a target that the villagers are not confident about. 

Construction of roads is ongoing in Chandkhuri village. Additionally, work is underway in the courtyard of Mata Kaushalya's temple. The temple priest is concerned that the work on Mata Kaushalya's temple is getting delayed. The contractor overseeing the work has assured that the work will be completed before January 22nd, said the priest Vikas Verma.

On the other hand, the locals from the village expressed their joy openly on the fixed date for the construction of the Ram Temple. Men and women, all are preparing to go to Ayodhya on January 22nd. The other poll plank of the BJP has been the cow or 'gau mata'. The Baghel government found a counter to this by purchasing cow dung from the dairy farmers.  

Even though the Congress party may have found a counter to the BJP's Hindutva card in Chhattisgarh, it seems weaker in front of the BJP when batting on the pitch of Hindutva in national politics. Chhattisgarh is voting in two phase poll - first phase was held on November 7 and the second phase voting for the 70 seats will be held on November 17. The counting of votes will take place on December 3.