Budhni: Conversations in Budhni are incomplete without a reference to the constituency’s special status. Identified as chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s pocket borough, Budhni in Sehore district of Madhya Pradesh is one of the most watched constituencies in the state that goes to polls on November 17. And while some residents say the CM’s constituency for 25 years, Budhni, is hardly a template for replication — lack of employment avenues, particularly white-collar jobs, uneven implementation of social schemes are some of the issues they raise — there is no anger on the ground. Nor are his die-hard supporters overly bothered by speculation that Chouhan will not be the party’s chief ministerial candidate in the upcoming polls. “People here are not ruffled easily,” laughed an employee of the postal department. He said news of the CM being sidelined or not considered for the post is fodder for chatter, but there is no indication on the ground of large-scale protests by his supporters.

Some residents acknowledged that the constituency has reasonably good arterial roads, a couple of big industries, and a good crop yield –being positioned on the banks of the mighty Narmada, a revered river in the state–but added that the absence of big-ticket infrastructure projects or employment avenues prevent Budhni from being an investment destination.

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“You can say people here are comfortable, but there is nothing extraordinary given that it is a CM’s seat and a special constituency…,” said a resident and a government employee, who asked not to be named.

“The big industries here offer jobs on the manufacturing floor that someone with basic literacy can do. Those with a degree (higher education) will not want to take these up unless they have no option or family constraints,” this person added.

The Congress’s promise of reverting to the old pension scheme does have some resonance on the ground. Government employees outside a panchayat office point out that the state government has not filled vacancies for years and has opted to employ people on daily wages. “When the Congress government came in 2018, they said all daily wagers would be recruited afresh and will be paid for 26 days a month. This government continued with that, and if we don’t work all seven days, we lose out on money. Such working conditions are demoralising…” said Gulab Chand, a resident who is employed on a daily wage basis in one of the government departments.

The CM who was elected from Budhni for the first time in 1990 will face his sixth electoral battle here, and although anti-incumbency is a factor, there is no sense of panic.

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“In Budhni it is always Shivraj Singh Chouhan. He belongs here, no bahari (outsider) contestant can displace him,” said Nasir Khan, a shop owner in Shahganj.

The vote against Shivraj, he added, is not an indication of anger against the CM, but his immediate circle. “He has people here who should be monitoring and following up, which doesn’t happen. Schemes benefit those who are well entrenched with the local powers that be. And that anger is what makes people vote for his opponent,” he said.

Khan cited the example of how the PM Awas Yojna that provides subsidised housing for the poor in the rural areas has been poorly implemented. He said there are families that have been waiting for years to get a pucca house sanctioned. “For the past three months, even the pension for the senior citizens has been stopped. We were told that the funds have not been released.”

In village Paraswada, residents credit Chouhan for improving the quality of life with piped water and round-the-clock electricity, although there complaints about pathcy coverage.

“There has been no work allocated under MNREGA for the past two years, and the awas yojna too has been poorly implemented. Something as basic as the construction of a drain in the village takes multiple trips to the panchayat and tehsil office. But people show restraint even when expressing their anger,” said one resident.

In the previous election Chouhan, an OBC face of the BJP and it’s longest serving CM in the state, won with a margin of 58,999 votes defeating Congress’s Arun Yadav. The margin dipped from 84,805 votes in 2013, and was read an indication of a dip in his popularity.

“There was a wave in support of the Congress and that’s how his margin came down. People are not averse to him per se,” said Saurav Patel in Paraswada.

Most residents brush off the Congress candidate this time, Vikram Mastal, an actor, as a featherweight in contrast. His on-screen image of Hindu God Hanuman has piqued interest, but not enough for people to see it as a battle of equals.

“Arun Yadav was a OBC leader with his own support base. He (Mastal) is seen as an outsider and a compromise candidate that party’s put up when they don’t want a tough battle,” said Akhilesh Prajapati, who runs an eatery in Shahganj.

“There is a pattern here, the CM comes to the constituency before filing nomination, meets people as part of the ashirwad yatra and then comes back only to thank them post results. He does not campaign, this shows his confidence of retaining his turf. His supporters feel Mama (as the CM prefers being known) will swing the decision in his favour,” the postal department employee said.