Assembly Elections: BJP CEC Identifies 125 ‘Vulnerable Seats’ in MP and 22 in Chhattisgarh

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP’s Central Election Committee (CEC) leaders had separate meetings with party officials from the upcoming election states of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. During these discussions, a detailed plan for strengthening the party on marginal Assembly seats was reviewed.

The BJP has reportedly targeted 125 “vulnerable” seats in Madhya Pradesh and 27 in Chhattisgarh where the party is in a “weaker position”.

A, B, C, and D are the four categories into which the BJP has categorized these seats based on their likelihood of winning the next Assembly elections.

A and B categories have been used to group the seats where one party has a better probability of winning or where there is a contest. Those seats where the party won the last election by a very narrow margin or where it has never won an election have been placed in the C and D categories, in contrast.

The party views the seats in categories C and D as a challenge for itself, and the CEC meeting was convened to develop a plan to win the elections on these “weak seats”

In Madhya Pradesh, there are 125 “weak seats,” 103 of which the BJP lost in the 2018 Assembly elections and the remaining 22 of which the party won with a very slim margin.

Similar to Chhattisgarh’s 27 vulnerable seats, five of them are ones that the BJP has never won, while the other 22 were decided by a razor-thin margin.

Leaders spoke about themes that are more persuasive in these marginal districts and that may be brought up locally to connect with voters during the sessions.

According to sources, the party may soon decide on potential candidates for these vulnerable seats and would provide them instructions on how to enter the race with the assistance of top officials.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, and BJP National General Secretary (Organization) B.L. Santhosh were among those present at the CEC sessions, which were presided over by party President J.P. Nadda.

Both Om Prakash Mathur and Union Minister Bhupendra Yadav, who are in charge of the party’s state elections in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh respectively, attended meetings pertaining to their respective states.

Typically, the party’s CEC meeting is held to consider the potential candidates for the Lok Sabha and Legislative Assembly elections. These gatherings are often convened just after the Election Commission releases the election dates. However, according to insiders, the party is unwilling to take any chances in areas where the outcome of the election is certain. For this reason, CEC meetings were held prior to the official declaration of the election.

By the end of the year, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, and Telangana will all have assembly elections.

The BJP has already begun planning forward, learning from the outcomes of the 2018 elections, so that when election schedules are issued, party candidates would be ahead of those of opposition parties.