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    BJP talks of river water for all, Congress rakes up mining issue

    Synopsis

    The Narmada courses through the boundaries of about 50 assembly seats – about a fifth of the state’s total – and the river basin covers 16 of the state’s 51 districts.

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    Come election time, both the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress invariably bring up the issues of conservation and cleanliness of the river as they woo voters.
    Khargone/Khandwa: The Narmada in Madhya Pradesh is probably one river in the country that brings election candidates and voters together – or divides them – like no other.

    The Narmada courses through the boundaries of about 50 assembly seats – about a fifth of the state’s total – and the river basin covers 16 of the state’s 51 districts, including Anuppur (where the river originates at Amarkantak), Khargone, Khandwa and Sehore, where chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s assembly seat Budhni is located.

    The river is different things to different people. Many see it as one of the country’s holy rivers. Others consider it the lifeline of the region – all the major dams, which are the main source of electricity and irrigational facilities for the state, are built on the 1,300 km Narmada. Indore, a city located 100 km away from the Narmada’s banks, and Khandwa, about 60 km away, get their drinking water from the Narmada through pipelines.

    However, come election time, both the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress invariably bring up the issues of conservation and cleanliness of the river as they woo voters. Now, as they prepare for the November 28 election, the two political rivals have adopted their own Narmada-based strategies. The BJP, seeking re-election, has promised to take the Narmada waters to each village in the region through a network of pipelines. The Congress party, on the other hand, has blamed the BJP for promoting illegal mining along the banks of the river and has also highlighted the poor maintenance of the ghats and places for pilgrims to stay.

    These issues have shaped the strategies of the two main parties and their selection of candidates, as shown in four constituencies, two in Khandwa district and two in Khargone district.

    MANDHATA
    Mandhata in Khandwa district is considered politically significant in view of the Omkareshwar temple, one of the 12 Jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva, located on an island on the Narmada river. The people here are angry with the administration for not ensuring the release of adequate water from the nearby Omkareshwar dam in the river. “Six months ago, there was an agitation in support of the demand for uninterrupted flow of water near Omkareshwar temple,” recalled Shobha Ram Kateria, a priest.

    When the proper flow was restored, Nand Kumar Chouhan, the BJP MP from Khandwa, persuaded the locals to stop the agitation, according to Kateria. However, there is a shortage of water in the river once again and it has now become a poll issue.

    The BJP has denied a ticket to Lokendra Singh Tomar, its sitting MLA from Mandhata, and has fielded Narendra Singh Tomar instead. The Congress candidate is Narayan Patel.

    BADWAHA
    Badwaha assembly seat in Khargone district is located along the banks of the Narmada and is also known for the production of chilli pepper. The key issues here are the poor condition of the river and its ghats at Kheri and illegal mining.

    “There is no link between the recently constructed ghats and the river. We also demand for putting a check on illegal mining in the Narmada basin. This is a big issue for us in view of the hundreds of pilgrims who regularly visit the area,” said Sanjay Gupta, a member of the Congress. Mahendra Singh Bhatia, a BJP leader, said a sewage treatment plant is being set up in the area to prevent polluting the river.

    Hitendra Singh Solanki of the BJP is seeking a fourth consecutive term from this constituency. The Congress candidate is Sachin Birla, who contested as a rebel in 2013 after being denied a ticket then and lost by a small margin against Solanki.

    MAHESHWAR
    Maheshwar, also in Khargone district, lies on the north bank of the Narmada. It is one of the halts for pilgrims undertaking the Narmada Parikrama, a journey along the west-flowing river.

    The Congress has selected former Rajya Sabha member Vijaylaxmi Sadho to contest from Maheshwar. The local people say Sadho, a former three-time MLA from here, had financed the construction of a crematorium from her MP funds.

    The BJP has fielded Bhupendra Arya, after denying a ticket to its sitting MLA Mev Rajkumar, who is now contesting as an independent.

    HARSUD
    The story in Harsud assembly seat in Khandwa district is different. This was an area that faced submergence following the construction of the Indira Sagar dam and the affected people were rehabilitated at Channera, now known as New Harsud. This seat is reserved for Scheduled Tribes and is one that the BJP has never lost since 1990.

    “We want the state government to give first priority to local fishermen for fishery trade in the Indira Sagar dam. We also want to get the facility of lift irrigation first in this area,” said a local leader of the Congress party at New Harsud. The Congress candidate is Sukhram Salve.

    The BJP has fielded Kunwar Vijay Shah.


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