Madhya Pradesh polls: It's ‘Hanuman’ vs 'Shiv-raj' in Budhni

Known as mama in the state, the incumbent Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who claims to have the "blessing of Lord Shiva" with him, is facing a tough battle this time.

To challenge Shivraj, Congress has fielded ‘Hanuman’ from the Ramayana in Budhni assembly seat, considered an impregnable fortress of the CM thus far.

Releasing the first list of candidates for the upcoming Madhya Pradesh assembly elections on Sunday, the Congress has pitted Vikram Mastal — best known for playing lord Hanuman in Anand Sagar’s 2008 television show Ramayana — against Shivraj.

Mastal, seen as a lightweight compared to Shivraj in politics, joined Congress in July this year. Though his selection as the Congress candidate against Chouhan has surprised many, others believe he may a good bet for the grand old party, often accused of 'neglecting' Hindus. Even if he loses the election, it will help the Congress elsewhere, said a Bhopal-based journalist, adding that the Congress is using Hanuman and Ram to counter the BJP's brand of Hindutva in MP.

Former CM Kamal Nath, also the chief ministerial candidate of the Congress this time, has not shied away from showcasing his devotion to Hanuman in the poll season. Though many see it as the propagation of soft Hindutva, others see it as an effective electoral tactic to counter the hardline Hindutva of the BJP. He has built a 101-feet Hanuman Mandir in Chhindwara. In Congress campaign material, he is often depicted as the 'Hanuman bhakt (devotee)'.

Apart from Hanuman, Kamal Nath has also embraced Lord Ram to woo voters, say analysts, inviting Dhirendra Krishna Shastri to give a three-day discourse on 'Ram katha' in his constituency.

MP watchers say Kamal Nath decided to field ‘Hanuman’ against 'Lord Shiva' after Chouhan announced the Hanuman Lok project in Chhindwara. Chouhan’s announcement regarding the carving out of a new district, Pandhurna, from Chhindwara, has also anguished Kamal Nath.

In the 2018 assembly polls, the Congress won 114 seats in the 230-member house and formed a coalition government with the support of the Samajwadi Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party, and independent MLAs, with Kamal Nath as CM.

However, the government fell after Jyotiraditya Scindia rebelled against his own party and defected to the BJP along with 20-odd MLAs, following which the BJP came to power in March 2020 with Shivraj Singh Chouhan taking over as chief minister for a record fourth term.

Elections to the 230-member Madhya Pradesh state assembly will be held on 17 November.