Campaigning ends in Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram; issues take backseat

Bhopal: Name calling and personal attacks by rival leaders marked the high-octane campaigning for November 28 assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, that came to an end on Monday evening.

The campaign which had remained low key in the initial period had peaked in the last week when BJP and Congress, the principal contenders for power in MP, started carpet bombing the state with their respective star campaigners to woo the voters. 

Meanwhile Campaigning for elections to the 40-member Mizoram Assembly also ended at 4 pm on Monday, setting the stage for polling on Wednesday when 7,70,395 people are expected to cast their votes in this northeastern state.

Stakes are particularly high for Congress in this poll since the party has found it in a “now or never” situation for being out of power in the MP since last 15 years.
Ruling BJP led by chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also appeared determined to overcome all odds particularly anti-incumbency to retain power for a record fourth time in a row in the Wednesday’s assembly elections.

While BJP has fielded candidates in all 230 assembly seats in the state, Congress has put its candidates in 229 seats leaving the rest one to its ally, Lok Tantrik Janata Dal of Sharad Yadav.

In Mizoram, the election machinery is fully prepared to conduct free and fair polls, the state’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Ashish Kundra said. Speaking to reporters here, Kundra said he was “perfectly satisfied” with the arrangements. Mizoram is the last bastion of the Congress in the northeast. 

The Congress has been in power in the state since 2008 and is eyeing a third consecutive term. In 2013 assembly elections, the Congress won 34 seats.