New Delhi, Dec 13 (UNI) The saffron party's shocking defeat and as it got decimated in Chhattisgarh after 15 years of rule came in for closer scrutiny at the party's national office bearers meet in the capital on Thursday.
The meeting presided over by BJP chief Amit Shah was attended among others by BJP MP Saroj Pandey, who was also a key campaigner in the state.
The BJP vote share dropped in the state - created during the tenure of Atal Bihari Vajpayee as Prime Minister - nosedived to meagre 33 per cent from 41.0 and the party's tally came down to 15 from 49.
In fact, closer scrutiny of the vote share suggests, the BJP's performance could have been worse this year had not Ajit Jogi-led Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (JCC) and BSP combine were in the game.
In as many as 12 assembly segments of the 15 BJP won, the total votes polled by either JCC or BSP nominees were more than the margin polled by Congress and BJP candidates.
Of the remaining three - the outgoing Chief Minister Raman Singh could beat the Congress rival by a convincing margin. Mr Singh also had trailed for sometime but later made up to retain the seat humbling Vajpayee's niece Karuna Shukla by a margin of 16,933 -- a much reduced margin that in two previous elections.
Raman Singh had won both the 2008 and 2013 elections by securing margins of over 33,000 votes each time.
BSP nominee and Ajit Jogi's daughter-in-law Richa Jogi lost to BJP candidate Saurabh Singh in Akaltara where the Congress came in third.
The instances of BJP benefiting from the presence of a formidable third force is nothing new in Chhattisgarh.
BJP sources said, right from 2003 – in all three successive assembly elections in Chhattisgarh, the BJP has benefited from multi cornered contests as the anti-saffron party votes got divided and thus helping its candidates sail home.
In fact, in the run up to the polls despite the confidence and enthusiasm, a few Congress leaders in Raipur and also in Rajnandgaon – the Chief Minister Raman Singh’s constituency – were candid in admitting that the Ajit Jogi-Mayawati combine could harm the Congress prospects.
In 2003, the NCP vote share was 7.02 per cent – as against 4.45 by Mayawati-led BSP. Ironically, NCP had won only one seat and NCP’s Novel Kumar had defeated Krishnakant Chandra of BJP.
The BJP vote share in 2003 was 39.26 and Congress share was 36.71 with the difference of three only. Had NCP not contested that year, things could have been different.
This factor was much crucial in 2013. The multi cornered contests made it appear obvious as if all other smaller parties and individuals seemed to have conspired to defeat Congress.
The vote share difference was hardly 0.7 per cent – with Congress 40.3 and BJP’s share was 41. But the seat difference was 10 – Congress winning 39 and BJP – 49.
In 2008 – it was Mayawati’s turn to eat away 6.11 per cent of votes and thus help the saffron party retain its hold over Chhattisgarh.
Ajit Jogi's JCC polled 7.6 percent votes and won five seats and BSP polled 3.9 percent votes and picked up two seats. Still - in the ultimate - BJP was handed over a shocker defeat.
UNI DEVN ADG 1705