BJP targets 10% increase in vote share with focus on SC/ST in Madhya Pradesh

The BJP is aiming to increase its vote share in Madhya Pradesh from 41% in 2018 to 51% in 2023 and for this party is banking on the outreach among SC/ST communities. SC/STs account for 37% of population in MP.

In 2018, BJP had won 33 out of 82 SC/ST reserved assembly seats in the state.

"We are specially focusing on improving our vote share among SC/STs and for that we have planned initiatives in the state," Murlidhar Rao, BJP in-charge of MP, told ET. "Special attention is on the Chambal region which has a sizeable Dalit population while tribal belts spread across the state."


The party plans to create space for more Dalit and tribal leadership within the organization. Party leaders told ET that leaders from Dalit and tribal community always had a presence within the organization. But now they will be given more prominence in terms of responsibility and visibility. In the first phase, BJP is planning to install statues of Dalit icons at Dalit localities. Work is also going on naming certain education institutes in the name of Dalit icons like Ambedkar. "The idea is to make them feel inclusive in the government as well as the party," said a leader aware of the plan.

From the government side, it will be ensured through supervision that all the families from SC/ST communities are getting the benefits of central as well as state government schemes. ET had earlier reported about the tribal push by the BJP in four states, MP, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Chhattisgarh.