Bundelkhand: BJP, Congress look to shine in polls in a poor region with diamond mine

Bundelkhand, an impoverished and drought-prone region of Madhya Pradesh, has shown a clear tilt towards the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in elections in the last two decades, but it remains to be seen if this trend will continue in the upcoming assembly polls, too, or the Congress will make a dent in the saffron party’s voter base.

The region, despite having a diamond mine in Panna district, has battled droughts, economic disparity, poverty and caste conflicts for decades. The politics of Bundelkhand, which straddles Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, is more complex than other regions of the centrally-located state which will vote on November 17 to elect a new 230-member assembly.

As it borders Uttar Pradesh, the area has pockets of influence of the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), key political players in the adjoining northern state. The UP-based outfits try to eat into the votes of the two main contenders for power in Madhya Pradesh – the BJP and the Congress – to expand their base and stay relevant in the central state’s politics.