Union Home Minister Amit Shah was also supposed to visit Bhopal on Sunday, however, the programme was later postponed (PTI File Photo)
Addressing the gathering of at least 50,000 BJP workers, Shah said, “Only the ‘karyakartas’ can help BJP win the Madhya Pradesh assembly elections”
“This is the start of our campaign for the Madhya Pradesh assembly elections 2023,” Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Sunday while addressing a gathering of tribals in Indore. The BJP is intensifying its efforts to win over the ST community, whose vote is crucial in the assembly polls due later this year.
“I thank the people of Madhya Pradesh for voting for BJP in 2014 and 2019 (Lok Sabha) elections,” he said at the “Vijay Sankalp Sammelan”.
“Pakistan attacked us in Uri and Pulwama, but they forgot that BJP is in power in India and Narendra Modi is our prime minister,” he said.
Addressing the gathering of at least 50,000 BJP workers, Shah said, “Only the ‘karyakartas’ can help BJP win the Madhya Pradesh assembly elections.”
A BJP functionary had earlier said at least 50,000 saffron workers from the tribal-dominated Indore division are expected to attend the Vijay Sankalp Sammelan in Shah’s presence.
Attacking the Congress-led Kamal Nath government in the state, Shah said, “Kamal Nath-led government did away with more than 51 schemes which were started by Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led government earlier.” “The Congress government which ruled the country for 70 years didn’t do anything for the poor,” he said.
He hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi who he termed as the “messiah of the poor”. “PM Modi is known as the messiah of the poor due to the welfare work done for them,” he said.
Shah lauded the people of Madhya Pradesh for their crucial role in securing 27 Lok Sabha seats for the BJP in the state during the 2014 elections.
“In 2019, the people of MP gave 28 out of the 29 Lok Sabha seats in the state to the BJP. In 2024, give all the 29 seats to Modi ji, Shah said.
Earlier in the day, Shah, along with Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, visited Janapav, the birthplace of Lord Parshuram, near Indore.
Shah was also supposed to visit Bhopal on Sunday, however, the programme was later postponed, party sources told the news agency IANS.
While the BJP’s Central leadership has appointed three union ministers as state election in-charges, party’s key strategist and Union Home Minister Amit Shah has intensified his visits to the poll-bound state.
Shah has visited state capital Bhopal thrice in the last 20 days and held several rounds of high-level meetings at party headquarters
On the other hand, Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Kamal Nath will also attend the “Adivasi Yuva Mahapanchayat” being organised by students and unemployed tribal youths in the city to highlight their issues.
In the 2018 Madhya Pradesh assembly elections, the Congress emerged as the single largest party by winning 114 seats in the 230-member House while the BJP bagged 109 seats.
The Congress went on to form a coalition government under Nath but it collapsed in March 2020 when nearly two dozen MLAs loyal to Jyotiraditya Scindia quit Congress and later joined the BJP, paving the way for the return of Shivraj Singh Chouhan as the chief minister once again.
