Dhar Lok Sabha Election 2024: In This MP Constituency, Bhojshala Dispute A Key Poll Issue – News18

Dhar Lok Sabha constituency, one of the 29 parliamentary constituencies in Madhya Pradesh, is designated as a Scheduled Tribe (ST) category seat in the state’s Malwa region. It encompasses the entire Dhar district and a portion of the Indore district. Presently, Dhar constituency comprises eight legislative assembly segments — Sardarpur, Gandhwani, Kukshi, Manawar, Dharampuri, Dhar, Badnawar, and Dr Ambedkar Nagar-Mhow. The current MP is Chattarsingh Darbar of BJP since 2019, who was preceded by Savitri Thakur of BJP (2014) and Gajendra Singh Rajukhedi of Congress (2009). The candidates in the fray for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections were Savitri Thakur (BJP) and Radheshyam Muvel (Congress). The constituency will vote in Phase 4 on May 13 and results will be declared on June 4.

Political Dynamics

• BJP Has The Edge: It’s a direct contest between the BJP and the Congress in this ST-dominated seat of Dhar, with the BJP having an edge. In the assembly elections of 2023, of eight seats, five assembly seats went to the Congress while three went to the BJP. The Congress scored a total vote share of 44.5 per cent against the BJP’s 44.8 per cent. However, how most of Madhya Pradesh votes in the assembly elections is different from how it votes in the general elections and the story is no different in Dhar. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Dhar re-elected the BJP for a second term, with a winning margin of 1.56 lakh votes. While this seat has a history of swinging between the BJP and the Congress, the BJP has not bagged the seat for more than two terms in a row, and therefore this election has the potential to be a historic one for the saffron party.
• Face Change: Incumbent MP Chattarsingh Darbar is a veteran and respected leader in the constituency, who was elected in 2019, defeating his Congress rival Girwal Dinesh by 1.56 lakh votes and scoring a total vote share of 53.73 per cent. He has been an MP from Dhar thrice, first in 1996, then in 2004 and finally in 2019. He did not face a worrying trend of anti-incumbency, was known for keeping his doors open to the people, and pushed successfully for the introduction of railway connectivity in Dhar, convincing the centre to release a budget, and getting work started on the ground. Since then, however, 70-year-old Darbar has faced health issues, including undergoing a bypass heart surgery. Owing to this reason, the BJP nominated former MP Savitri Thakur, who had served between 2014 and 2019. Thakur is close to Kailash Vijayavargiya and had been a district panchayat president before becoming an MP. Savitri Thakur, though far behind in terms of educational qualifications against her opponent, has made a name for herself in the constituency, especially among women and tribal voters. Having formerly served as an MP here, she is a familiar face and has an upper hand against the Congress’ candidate who is a fresh face in the arena. In 2014, Thakur had defeated the most prominent Congress leader in Dhar and current MLA from Gandhwani — Umang Singhar — by a margin of over 1 lakh votes.
• What Works for BJP: The BJP’s campaign is also bolstered by the presence of ex-Congress MP Gajendra Singh Rajukhedi who joined the BJP this year after being miffed with the Congress, criticising the party’s stand on the Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha ceremony and claiming that he had joined the BJP with no conditions. Rajukhedi is a three-time MP from Dhar, winning in 1998, 1999 and 2009. Moving on to the Modi wave which is prevalent in this constituency — the prime minister is a major factor dominating this election. Hindutva has seeped into the veins of Dhar’s political psyche with widespread celebrations during the Ram Mandir inauguration ceremony. The Bhojshala dispute is also a major issue often raised by the BJP which supports the call for the restoration of a Saraswati idol in the temple-mosque complex. In fact, Savitri Thakur, on hearing about her nomination, visited the premises to seek the blessings of Maa Vagdevi, marking a rare political visit to the complex. Welfare schemes such as free ration, Awas Yojana and Ayushman Bharat have been a success, cultivating favour for the party in Adivasi regions as well as urban regions. The state government’s Ladli Behna Yojana has also raised the BJP’s prospects among women voters. A significant portion of the Bhil and Bhilala communities, the dominant communities towards the ST-fold comprising 51 per cent of the total electorate, will split almost evenly between the Congress and the BJP. Forward castes, SC, and OBC voters are also split between the two parties but are expected to lean more in favour of the BJP.
• Weak Congress Banks on Adivasis: Rajukhedi was the most likely choice for the Congress for a Lok Sabha ticket in Dhar. But the leader, who had sought a ticket in the 2023 assembly elections from Dharampuri or Manawar assembly seats, tendered his resignation after his demand was not met. This left the Congress with very few options as its next big leader, Umang Singhar, the MLA from Gandhwani, is already the designated leader of opposition in the state. This is where the doors opened up for Radheshyam Muvel, who had been working with the youth wing of the party. Muvel also reportedly worked on Rahul Gandhi’s election strategy in Amethi in 2014. Muvel comes from Manawar and is well known there, but has his work cut out in the rest of the Lok Sabha constituency. Muvel’s campaign is backed by prominent Congress leaders in the region, and the five Congress MLAs in the constituency, all of whom wield tremendous sway among voters. He has raised the issues of inflation and corruption and has made direct attacks on his opponent for allegedly neglecting the people of the constituency. Earlier in April, Muvel’s nomination fell at risk when the Congress leadership discovered that their chosen candidate from Dhar was not actively involved in the election campaign. Reports claimed that Muvel, who had initially secured the ticket, failed to establish any campaign offices. Consequently, local party members urged the central leadership to consider replacing him with a new candidate. It was then rumoured that Mahendra Kannauj, associated with the Jay Adivasi Yuva Sangthan (JAYS) from Dhar, may be chosen. Since this incident, however, Muvel’s campaign was seen catching speed, with the leader making a fiery speech sharing the stage with the Congress’ Jitu Patwari, MLA Umang Singhar and other Congress leaders.
• Adivasi Factor: The Congress party has a significant hold over the Adivasi voters which is a prominent phenomenon in the assembly elections. In the Dhar Lok Sabha constituency, five out of the eight assembly seats are reserved for ST candidates. Of these, Congress won four seats, while the BJP managed to secure only one. The party seeks to re-emulate that success in its favour this general election and counter the Modi factor. The Congress also has the support of most of the Muslim community here which comprises more than 6 per cent of the vote.

Key Issues

• Bhojshala-Kamal Maula Mosque Dispute: The Bhojashala dispute has once again reared its head in Dhar. Hindu groups seek reclamation of the disputed site, claiming that the Kamal Maula mosque was constructed atop the site of a Saraswati temple, further asserting that the deity’s idol was taken to London by the British in 1857. Since the early 2000s, several Right-wing groups in the state have advocated for the closure of the mosque, a prohibition on Friday prayers within its premises, and the placement of a Saraswati idol in the Bhojshala complex. In April 2003, the ASI facilitated an arrangement to address the issue, allowing Hindus to conduct worship ceremonies on Tuesdays while Muslims observed their Friday prayers at the site. The same arrangement has continued up until now and the ASI has been at the site for over a decade and the Muslim side claims that there have been structural changes made to the site. In 2022, the Chouhan-led BJP government promised to bring back the Saraswati idol from Britain. Currently, with the BJP government trying to unite the voters under its Hindutva push, the Bhojashala issue has once again surfaced during election season. While some constituents from both sides of the communal line strive for a resolution similar to the Ram Janmabhoomi case, others believe that Bhojashala should be a decisive factor in the election promises.
• Tribal issues: Tribals compose more than 50 per cent of the population in the Dhar Lok Sabha constituency, and in every election, political parties offer lucrative schemes for their votes. However, issues of development, connectivity, employment and even the service of basic amenities to the tribals remains a challenge. Exclusion is at the heart of all the troubles in the tribal settlements in the region. Drinking water also remains a challenge along with pukka roads. Another issue which the tribals face is discrimination from the non-tribal population. Constant reports of youths getting thrashed have surfaced in Dhar with the recent one in June, where two minor tribal youths were abducted and thrashed for asking for help when they fell down from the bicycle they were riding.
• Farmer Issues: Across the Malwa region, which is known for farming in Madhya Pradesh, farmers are a troubled lot. There is a lack of availability of fertilizers sold at government centres at cheaper rates due to which farmers have to turn to private players which sell the same bag of fertilizers at exorbitantly higher prices. Another issue which the farmers face is that of procurement. The crop is cultivated by March but no one buys it till April-end, and when they do, there are too many parameters to meet, and some of the crop goes unsold. The rising cost of pesticide is another major issue, as it has risen from Rs 900 to Rs 1,400 per Kg. With the yellow Mosaic virus destroying crops in Dhar, the farmers have to spend around Rs. 10,000 for a cultivable produce of soya bean on one bigha land, driving their unit costs exponentially higher. Incessant rains wash over the crops, which also leads to crop failure and compensation by local authorities is always delayed. Moreover, due to drinking water scarcity in the area, farmers have not been allowed to use pumps for irrigation adding to their despair. For these reasons, crop loan waiver, irrigation pump promises and higher MSPs have become major points to woo the voters.
• Drinking Water: In 2022, Dhar was declared a drinking water scarce area. Local administration has put a ban on using water of different sources, including tube wells, rivers, dams, canals, streams, springs, lakes, reservoirs, and wells for irrigation, industrial and such other purposes. All 13 development blocks and as many as 802 villages of Dhar are fluorosis-affected while availability of
  

  clean drinking water

  to meet the demand is already a challenge in the district. This has also led to a sharp rise in hospitalisation cases due to water-borne diseases.

• Immigration of Labourers: According to reports, migrant labourers from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh and some other states are taking up jobs in units in the Pithampur industrial belt of Dhar. Due to this, people believe that the local populace, especially the youth, have been left unemployed as the opportunities have been captured by outsiders. People are generally miffed about the mass immigration of labourers from other states and have voiced their opposition to the government several times.
• Unemployment and Emigration: Due to the mass influx of outsiders, the youth in Dhar have no place to go. The labourers from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh etc, work on cheaper rates. As a result, the youth in Dhar need to migrate to states of Maharashtra and Gujarat.
• Connectivity: Connectivity is a major issue in Dhar. While people are happy that the Union government has sanctioned Rs 745 crore for improvement in rail services, connectivity in the tribal area with neighbouring states of Gujarat remains limited. According to on-ground reports, the new proposed railway projects, such as the Chhota Udaipur-Dhar Rail Project, will be a crucial voting factor for tribals who, for most of their lives, have remained disconnected. Moreover, another demand has been raised by city dwellers to transform Dhar station into a junction and develop it as an urban rail connectivity centre rather than the proposed Amjhera.

Infrastructural Development

• Mega Textile Park: The PM Mitra Mega Textile Park initiative is set to revolutionise the textile industry by creating a comprehensive ecosystem where every step of the textile process, from production to export, takes place under one roof. This ambitious project, with an estimated investment of Rs 4,425 crore, aims to attract significant investments in the textile sector while simultaneously generating numerous job opportunities.
• Railway Infrastructure: A new broad-gauge section connecting Indore and Dr Ambedkar Nagar was opened in 2016, along with improvements to stations like Patalpani and Kalakund. Patalpani has even been developed as a heritage site with a special heritage train running on the route. Water filtration systems have been installed at stations and passenger amenities have been improved. Several new train services have been introduced, including extensions of existing routes and the introduction of DEMU trains.
• Chhotaudepur-Dhar New Broad Gauge: The Chhotaudepur-Dhar New Broad Gauge railway line project was sanctioned by the Railway Board in 2007-08 as a socio-economic project. It will provide connectivity to the tribal area of Alirajpur and Dhar District of MP, which will provide job opportunities to this area.
• Chhota Udaipur–Dhar line: The Chhota Udaipur–Dhar line is a railway line under construction from Chhota Udaipur railway station to Dhar railway station. This corridor passes through the ranges of Chhota Udaipur Hills in Gujarat and Sondwara Plateau in Madhya Pradesh. It will play an important role in directly connecting Vadodara and Indore.
• Indore City Bypass: The bypass, spanning 141 km through Dhar, Indore, and Dewas districts of Madhya Pradesh, is a new project (greenfield). It starts near Khandwa village and ends at NH-52 near Bharadala. The objective is to alleviate traffic congestion in Indore by providing an alternative route and ensuring smooth transportation of both goods and people.

Voter Demographics (2011 Census)

Total Voters (2019): 17,72,737

Urban Areas: 21.4%

Rural Areas: 78.6%

Literacy Rate: 51.94%

Social Composition:

SC: 7.7%

ST: 51.2%

Religious Composition:

Hindu: 93%

Muslim: 6.24%

Christian: 0.16%

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