Chhattisgarh is an exception among States where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is organisationally strong. Powerful ministers in the Raman Singh Cabinet have managed to sideline those who came from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). “They [powerful BJP Ministers] are scared that if we get prominence in the BJP, they will be sidelined. So they make every effort to keep us at bay,” claimed a BJP leader who is known for his proximity to the RSS.
In the recent civic elections in Chhattisgarh, RSS-backed candidates lost elections in many places because of alleged “intrigue” by BJP leaders and workers. The party’s Mayoral candidate from Raipur, Sachchidanand Upasane, who was given ticket on the RSS’s insistence, lost to Pramod Dube of the Congress by 16,528 votes. Mr. Upasane’s defeat shocked many, as Raipur includes Assembly segments of powerful BJP Ministers Brijmohan Agrawal and Rajesh Munat.
Former Bastar Mahanagar Pracharak of the RSS, Yogendra Koushik, who contested from Jagdalpur, lost to a “dummy” Congress candidate. Yogdutt Sharma, another RSS man, who contested on BJP ticket from Balod lost his seat by 349 votes. “Not only insider intrigue, senior party leaders in Balod openly campaigned for the Opposition,” he said.
