What Congress and BJP posters in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh say and hide

While the Congress is banking on its former chief minister’s image and performance, the BJP is relying on the popularity and charisma of the prime minister, to woo the voters in the state.

Congress aayegi, khushhaali layegi — the opposition party’s posters in Madhya Pradesh with this tagline show former chief minister Kamal Nath standing tall, mostly with no pictures of any other leaders. There are some posters featuring Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Vadra and Mallikarjun Kharge, but they’re shown on a much smaller scale than Nath.

The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP’s) posters — with the tagline phir iss baar, Bhajapa sarkar — look very different, with a big picture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi towering over those of 11 other leaders, including the party’s national president J.P. Nadda, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and state president VD Sharma, among others.

 Bhopal to Silwani Tuesday — making about a dozen pit stops along the 125-km stretch — the tall posters revealed the contrasting narratives, strategies and challenges of the two parties, as they vie for voters’ trust and support. The state will go to the polls on 17 November, with the votes to be counted on 3 December.

The contrasting posters encapsulate the electoral discourse in the state. The BJP posters seem to convey that the party is not dependent on any single leader but has a diverse and representative team of leaders, “who can cater to different sections and regions of the society” as described by Hitesh Bajpai, Madhya Pradesh BJP spokesperson.

When it comes to what they want people to vote for, the parties’ messages are quite similar. The Congress posters talk about providing 200 units of free power, Rs 1,500 per month to women and LPG cylinders for Rs 500, among other things.

Both parties are obviously trying to woo voters with competitive populism, although the BJP has also sought to bring the Ayodhya Ram temple into the electoral discourse. “Bhavya Ram Mandir ban kar ho raha taiyaar, phir iss baar Bhajapa sarkar (the grand Ram temple is being built, once again, BJP government),” says one of the BJP posters.

Both parties are obviously trying to woo voters with competitive populism, although the BJP has also sought to bring the Ayodhya Ram temple into the electoral discourse. “Bhavya Ram Mandir ban kar ho raha taiyaar, phir iss baar Bhajapa sarkar (the grand Ram temple is being built, once again, BJP government),” says one of the BJP posters.

And the BJP? “Betiyan ab bojh nahin, janma se banati hai lakhpati (Daughters are a burden no more, they bring prosperity since birth),” says a BJP poster with Modi standing tall with 11 party leaders in a group picture on the side. “Ladli behna ke bachchon ko paushtik ahaar, ab milenga Rs 3,000 (Nutritious food for the children of beloved sisters, now get Rs 3,000),” reads one more.