Dr. Vaibhav Bemetariha, Raipur. Bastar… a part of the southern end of Chhattisgarh, which is full of natural beauty, immense mineral wealth… which is surrounded by water, forests, rivers, mountains… where there is primitive Abujhmad, unknown to the modern world… where Naxal violence has killed two people. There is pain and desolation of the tribals grinding between the stones.
Bastar… which is the arena of politics… Bastar… which is affected by the condition… Bastar… where there is the biggest iron mine… Bastar… where there are unemployed tribal youth…. Bastar… about which everyone says this…. Poor people from a rich land live here…
Once again there are elections among the poor people of this rich land…elections…of democracy…elections…of Lok Sabha. The election is about the votes of the tribals…the election is about the fate of the tribals through the leaders. The election was about that vote and destiny… where it started with the defeat of the political parties and the victory of the tribal people without a party… where the independents kept on defeating the national parties from time to time…. Where the tribals who came out among the tribals and not from the party kept reaching the Parliament in Delhi.
In this report, the story is of this Bastar… the story is from the first elections in 1952 till the elections being held in 2024. Story of 6 time MLA Kawasi Lakhma… Story of new leader Mahesh Kashyap contesting elections for the first time… Story of politics of Bastar… Story of peace, peace and love amidst Naxal violence..
After all, what is the mood of Bastar at present? After all, with whom are the people of Bastar? Will Mahesh or Kawasi win? Before understanding this, take a look at the electoral history…
electoral history
Along with the first elections held in India, the first Lok Sabha elections were held in Bastar in 1952. This first general election itself, 70 years ago, had shown that the people of Bastar are more aware about elections than the urban voters. They may be less educated… they may be backward in development… but certainly not regarding elections. This is the reason why the people of Bastar had left Congress or any other political party and elected an independent candidate in the first general elections. In the first general election, independent Muchaki Kosa had won from Bastar. Muchaki had secured more than 1 lakh 77 thousand votes and defeated Congress candidate Surti by about 1.5 lakh votes. Surti had received about 36 thousand votes.
independents continue to prevail
After the first elections of 1952, Congress made a comeback in 1957. Congress candidate Surti, who had lost the 1952 elections, had defeated independent candidate Boda Dara by a huge margin in the 1957 elections by about 1 lakh votes. However, after this, Congress lost four consecutive elections and independent candidates continued winning. Lakhmu Bhavani had won in 62, Sunderlal in 67 and Lambodar Baliyar had won in 71. By the year 1971, the graph of Congress kept going down and it had reached the fifth position. In the elections held in 77 after the Emergency of 75, Rigpal Keshari Shah of Bharatiya Lok Dal had won. Lambodar, who had won as an independent in 71 elections in 77, had then fought against Congress, but lost by a huge vote.
Congress made a spectacular comeback
Congress made a spectacular comeback in 1980. Congress kept winning four consecutive elections after 80. Laxman Karma brought Congress back by winning the 80 elections. After this, Congress got a strong leader in Bastar in the form of Mankuram Sodhi. He was made a candidate for the first time in the elections of 1984. Mankuram registered a strong victory. He defeated Mahendra Karma, who contested from CPI, by a huge margin. After this, he created a record of hat-trick by registering consecutive wins in 89 and 91 matches. In 1991, he defeated Rajaram Todem of BJP. However, in 1996, Congress again had to face defeat from an independent candidate. Mankuram, a three-time winner, lost to his old rival Manendra Karma by a narrow margin.
BJP’s stronghold
It took almost two decades to convert the defeat of Congress in 1996 into victory. Deepak Baij had brought Congress back into Bastar in 2019. Meanwhile, from 98 to 2019, only lotus kept blooming in Bastar. For the first time in 1998, Baliram Kashyap had opened the account of victory for BJP in Bastar. Self. Baliram was the leader who established BJP in Bastar. Baliram kept winning four consecutive times in 98,99, 2004 and 09. After his death in 2011, his son Dinesh Kashyap won the by-election and was successful in winning for the second time in the 2014 Modi wave. In the 2019 elections too, Congress’s Deepak Baij, while being an MLA amid the Modi wave, defeated BJP candidate Baidu Ram Kashyap.
Kawasi Lakhma, Congress candidate
Kawasi Lakhma is contesting elections as MLA in 2024. Just like the MLAs had fought and won in Baij 2019. Lakhma is a 6-time MLA from Konta seat. He is not educated, but there is no other leader in the area who understands the politics of Bastar better than him. Kawasi Lakhma is considered to have a strong hold in the Naxal affected interior areas. Especially in Konta, Dantewada and Bijapur assembly constituencies. Along with this, to some extent also in Abujhmad in Narayanpur assembly and Keshalur area in Chitrakote assembly.
Lakhma was a charismatic leader for Congress in Bastar. In a way, he is the most successful leader of the party. Even after being surrounded by allegations of Jheeramghati Naxal massacre that took place in 2013, Lakhma continued to dodge his opponents. Be it the election of 13, 18 or 23 in Konta seat, in every election Lakhma was shown and told to lose, but in the end the victory kept going to him. Perhaps to capitalize on this magic of Lakhma, the Congress high command has made the sitting MP and State Congress President Deepak Baij the candidate by not giving him the ticket.
However, Lakhma himself did not want to contest the elections. Lakhma had demanded a ticket for her son Harish from the party. Harish is the President of Bastar District Panchayat. But the party thought it right to let the father contest the elections instead of the son. Whether Kawasi will be able to turn this decision of the party into a successful outcome or not will be known on June 4. At present, his campaign is continuing with unique methods and controversial statements.
Sometimes cockfights are held during Lakhma campaign…. Sometimes they go among the public with EVMs. When he explains the meaning of democracy to the tribals in Gondi and Halbi language… then he woos them by talking about alcohol and money… If they count the failure of Modi government…then they also count the 5 justices of Congress. Amidst the promises and claims, Lakhma is leaving no stone unturned to deceive the BJP. Going from house to house, eating food with the tribals… legs and hands folded. Despite this, he is still seen lagging behind in the Lakhma race in Bastar.
Mahesh Kashyap, BJP candidate
Lakhma is behind in the race because Mahesh is ahead of her. Mahesh’s full name is Mahesh Kashyap. Mahesh is identified as a simple tribal. But more than this, Mahesh’s image has now been created in the area as a leader fighting against conversion. Mahesh’s political background includes Hindu organizations like Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad. He started his political journey as Gram Panchayat Sarpanch. He was also the President of Sarpanch Sangh in Bastar. When politics progressed, he became an officer in the BJP organization. But amidst all this, Kashyap was most discussed as an agitating leader on the issue of religious conversion. Because he is the coordinator of Bastar Cultural Security Forum. And under the banner of this platform, he is active among the tribals regarding tribal culture, customs, traditions, religious practices, Hindutva and religious conversion. In a way, there are strong servants and workers in Bastar for the basic work of the Sangh.
During the 2023 assembly elections, his name was also discussed from Bastar assembly seat, but the discussion has now come to an end for the Lok Sabha elections-2024. With the coordination of the Sangh and the organization, Mahesh Kashyap became the Lok Sabha candidate and is contesting the elections. However, like Kawasi, Mahesh Kashyap is not in the election discussions. There is more discussion about the party’s campaign than the candidate’s campaign. Modi and Sai are in discussion.
Along with these two candidates of BJP and Congress, 9 more candidates are contesting from Bastar seat. among these candidates
Narendra Burka (Hamarraj Party) Kawal Singh Baghel (Rashtriya Jan Sabha Party) Aaytu Ram Mandavi (Bahujan Samaj Party) Phulsing Kachalam (CPI) Shivram Nag (Sarva Adi Dal) Sundar Baghel (Independent) Tikam Nagvanshi (Godwana Gantantra Party) Jagdish Prasad Nag ( Azad Janata Party) Prakash Kumar Gota (Swatantra Dal).
In Bastar, there is a direct contest between total 11 candidates between Congress and BJP. The role of other parties seems to be to register their presence on this seat. There was a time when the people of Bastar trusted independent candidates. But after 1996, the dominance of independent candidates on Bastar seat has ended. A total of 18 elections including by-elections have been held in Bastar from 1952 to 2019. In these elections, BJP has won 6 times, Congress 6 times, Independents 5 times and Bharatiya Lok Dal 1 time.
direct influence of the royal family
The Bastar royal family has had a direct influence since the first general elections for one and a half decade. Late Bastar Maharaja remained in victory and defeat in the elections from 1952 to 67. Praveer Chandra Bhanjdev’s name and work have been making an impact. Tribal people consider him as God. At present the Bastar royal family is with the BJP and the current king Kamalchandra Bhanjdev is the leader of the BJP. However, now the royal family is not in a decisive role.
racial mathematics
Bastar is a reserved seat for Scheduled Tribes. Bastar has 70 percent tribal population. These include about 36 castes like Gond, Bhatra, Muria, Madiya, Halba, Dhurwa. Along with this, there are many castes in OBC category like Sahu, Yadav, Dewangan, Dhimar, Dhobi. Whereas the general class also includes castes like Brahmin, Marwari, Jain, Rajput, which are influential among other castes due to being from the business class.
The dominance of Bhatra community is visible in the Lok Sabha elections. Whenever BJP has made a leader from Bhatra community its candidate, BJP has registered victory. Self. Baliram Kashyap’s family also belongs to Bhatra caste. Mahesh Kashyap’s caste is also Bhatra. Whereas Kawasi Lakhma belongs to sub-caste Madiya community in Gond caste. If seen on caste basis, the dominance of Bhatra and Gond castes is visible.
The tribal communities of Bastar have different caste based language, dialect, customs and traditions. On this basis, political parties try to influence the society. Meetings are held socially. Contact is made with Baiga, Pujari, Manjhi, Patels. Presently it can be seen in villages.
issues
In Bastar, issues like Naxalism, education, health, pure drinking water, migration, employment, displacement, mining among water-forest-land have been at the center for decades. But with all this the issue of conversion and Hindutva has become more influential. Its echo is not only in the urban areas of Bastar but also in the rural and forest areas. BJP has been successful to a great extent in capitalizing on this. On the other hand, Congress is cashing in on employment amid capitalism, mining and acquisitions.
Bastar Lok Sabha constituency
There are total 8 assembly seats in Bastar Lok Sabha – Bastar, Jagdalpur, Kondagaon, Chitrakot, Narayanpur, Bijapur, Dantewada and Konta. Including these 8 assembly seats, there are a total of 14 lakh 66 thousand 337 voters in the area. Among these, female voters – 7 lakh 68 thousand 88 and male voters – 6 lakh 98 thousand 197, while there are more than 50 voters of the third gender.
Population is high, but no MPs
In Bastar the population of women is more than that of men. Women’s participation in voting is also high. The women of Bastar are also full of consciousness. Despite this, participation of women in Bastar politics has been less. National parties also did not put forward women in the Lok Sabha. 18 Lok Sabha elections have been held so far. But till now not a single woman has been able to become MP from Bastar.
Wait
Amidst all this diversity and upheaval in Bastar, voting is on 19th April. Voters are waiting to vote. Because they have to elect their new MP. Election has to be done for that leader who can raise the real issues of Bastar in Delhi and can do justice to the tribals. Now see who will win Mahesh or Kawasi? After all, with whom are the people of Bastar?