The Heart of the Matter - Madhya Pradesh Assembly Elections

In our ongoing series on Moneycontrol where we examine the key trends and factors at play in the five states going into assembly elections, today we head to the heart of the country – Madhya Pradesh. The Bharatiya Janata Party has held power in the central state for fifteen years now, thirteen of which have been under the leadership of incumbent Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. In 2005, Mr Chouhan took over from Babulal Gaur, the pronouncer of such gems as “drinking is a fundamental right,” and describing rape as “sometimes right, and sometimes wrong.”

Aside from a truncated term each served by Samyukta Vidhayaka Dal and Janata Party, Madhya Pradesh has largely been a playground for just the two big parties of the country, and it is the same two – BJP and Congress – which will be fighting it out in the upcoming elections as well.