In the 2023 assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Congress managed to overturn BJP’s long-standing dominance in the Malwa-Nimar region. This was made possible largely thanks to the tribals in the area switching their allegiance after having backed the BJP to a large extent in the previous three elections. The STs, which hold sway in 28 seats of the region, helped Congress secure a whopping 21 seats in the 2018 elections. Outlook’s Abhik Bhattacharya talked to Dr Yatindra Singh Sisodia, the director of the Madhya Pradesh Institute of Social Science Research in Ujjain to discuss the community’s priorities in the upcoming polls. The BJP government has tried to woo the tribals by highlighting the special protections granted to them under the PESA and similar acts while also celebrating the legacies of tribal icons such as Tantya Bhil and Birsa Munda. However, this may not be enough to sway the community back from the folds of the Congress, which insists that most of the pro-tribal laws date back to its regimes.

Video: Dinesh Parab

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