Khargone is one of the 29 Lok Sabha constituencies of Madhya Pradesh and is a Schedule Trible (ST) reserved seat. Covering the entire Barwani district and a part of Khargone district, the parliamentary constituency comprises eight assembly segments: Maheshwar (BJP), Kasrawad (INC), Khargone (BJP), Bhagwanpura (INC), Sendhawa (INC), Rajpur (INC), Pansemal (BJP) and Barwani (INC). Voting for the Khargone seat in MP will take place on May 13 in the fourth phase of Lok Sabha polls while the counting of votes will take place on June 4.
Current MP and Top Contenders
Current MP: Gajendra Singh Patel (BJP)
Top Contenders: Gajendra Singh Patel (BJP) and Porlal Kharte (INC)
Political Dynamics
Advantage BJP in Khargone
The BJP is eyeing its third straight Lok Sabha victory from Khargone, and for this purpose, it has fielded Gajendra Singh Patel once again. In 2019, Gajendra Patel had defeated Congress here by a margin of over 2.2 lakh votes, securing 54.2% of the total votes polled. Now, ground inputs suggest Patel is in pole position to win the seat again, handing the Congress yet another defeat from Khargone.
Inputs from the ground also suggest that the Modi wave in Khargone is alive and kicking. Prime Minister Narendra Modi remains the biggest factor working to the BJP’s advantage, with a significant chunk of the electorate expected to hit the lotus symbol due to Modi’s image and his reputation for being a development-oriented and decisive leader.
Apart from PM Modi, Hindutva plays a crucial role for the BJP in Khargone. Religious polarisation is a perceptible phenomenon here, and Hindu votes are largely expected to head the BJP’s way. It is not surprising, therefore, that senior BJP leaders here have been attacking the Congress and Gandhis for rejecting the invitation sent to them for the Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha ceremony. In fact, chief minister Mohan Yadav went on to claim that Congress works to break the country in the name of religion. Dr Yadav made it a point to mention that the Congress, if it wins, will conduct a wealth survey, snatch the property and assets of people, and redistribute them primarily among Muslims.
Gajendra Patel himself has a fair reputation in Khargone and there does not appear to be any major discontent or anti-incumbency against him. He has facilitated developmental work, with the exception of introducing railways in the constituency – which he promises will be taken up on a priority basis in his next term.
The biggest strength which the BJP has is its organisational prowess. The sheer number of BJP karyakartas engaging in campaign-related activities here is something which is giving the party an edge over the Congress. The BJP hit the campaign trail running pretty early on and has made door-to-door canvassing of votes a priority. If the BJP wins, three factors can be considered as those which sealed the deal for the party here: Modi, Hindutva and Sangathan (organisation).
Congress Unable to Keep Up
The Congress has fielded Porlal Kharte to take on BJP’s Gajendra Patel in Khargone. Kharte has a distinguished career spanning both government as well as social service. Despite facing financial adversities growing up, Kharte continued pursuing his studies and even worked as a labourer to make ends meet. He was posted as a Commercial Tax Inspector after cracking the Madhya Pradesh Public Service Commission examination. After two decades of government service, he opted for voluntary retirement from the post of State Tax Officer to pursue his passion for public service and has been working in the social welfare sector ever since.
However, a social worker does not necessarily have an upper hand in a cutthroat political battle, like the one which is underway in Khargone. The BJP is going all-out against the Congress, and ground inputs suggest the Grand Old Party is just not able to keep up. While the BJP is engaging in aggressive campaigning and door-to-door visits, the Congress just does not have the organisational muscle to undertake such activities on a large and persistent scale. It cannot expect votes to come its way if it does not give its best shot in reaching out to people ahead of polling day.
The party, aware of the religious polarisation on ground, is looking to draw enough tribal voters, which when combined with its dedicated Muslim vote bank, may provide it with a narrow window to unseat the BJP. However, this strategy is not as simple as it sounds, since the Adivasi voters also appear to favour the BJP. They are not particularly immune to the saffron party’s Hindutva push.
Besides, the Congress does not have any special strategy for Khargone. It is raising the same issues – unemployment, price rise, threat to constitution and democracy, much like it is doing in rest of the country. While inflation and unemployment are concerns, the voters do not appear to be in a mood to punish the BJP just yet. It is also promising development to the people, but voters seem to think that the BJP is their best bet if development is what they want to see happen in the constituency.
Key Issues
Communal Tensions
Communal tensions erupted in Khargone in 2022 and have since been seen as a major issue here. The Malwa-Nimar region has become communally sensitive, with people divided on religious lines. People blame both the BJP and the Congress, for failing to provide anything to those who were affected by the tensions. The region has also seen an increase in communal tensions over the past five years. According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) reports for 2021 and 2020, as many as 34 cases related to communal clashes (22 cases in 2021 and 12 cases in 2020) and 128 cases of promoting enmity between two groups (50 and 78 cases) were registered. The issue of identity politics has also been raised by local BJP leaders and it is being alleged that the banned Popular Front of India (PFI) is trying to disturb peace in the Malwa region.
Casteism
Casteism remains a major issue in Khargone. In 2023, about 100 people were booked when tensions erupted as people from the Dalit community tried to enter a temple to offer prayers in Chhapra village in Khargone district. Both sides pelted stones at each other, and many were injured. This, however, was not an isolated incident. A similar incident occurred a few days before it, in Kasrawad, where both sides clashed. In 2022, a Dalit woman was also stopped from entering the temple grounds in Khargone. The issue has polarised voters as Dalits believe that by stopping them from entering temple grounds the upper castes are trying to subdue them.
Water Issues
Khargone has been declared as a water scarce zone. Due to erratic rainfall, people every year have faced a scarcity of drinking water in the region. Tube wells and water sources start drying in many villages as summer approaches. To address the issue, the MP Urban Development Company under assistance from the World Bank completed a 30 MLD water treatment plant, 300-km long distribution network and four overhead tanks to supply water to the Khargone municipality. However, the nearby villages still suffer as water supply remains a pipe dream.
Rail Connectivity
The issue of rail connectivity in the region has once again been brought to the fore as elections approach. The region suffers from the absence of rail connectivity as commuters depend on buses for movement of goods and travel. The current MP had claimed that rail connectivity will soon be a reality in the region and there were plans to connect Barwani to the Indore and Manmad railway line. However, no progress has been made so far. Barwaha railway station is a small and the only railway station in the region, however it lacks connectivity to major stations and serves as a point of transportation for the industries in the region. Although some survey has been done to start work on building a railway line, no solid work is visible on the ground yet.
Farmer Issues
Untimely rains, water scarcity, hailstorms and gusty winds lead to crop damage and sometimes total crop failure in the Khargone Lok Sabha constituency. Fertilisers offered at government centres at lower pricing are in short supply, forcing farmers to turn to private players who charge exorbitant prices for the same bag of fertiliser. Another challenge that farmers face is procurement. The crop is cultivated by March, but no one buys it until the end of April, and when they do, there are too many standards to follow, so some of it goes unsold. Moreover, compensation is often delayed as farmers have to organise protests every year to demand compensation from the government.
Unemployment and Emigration
There is a lack of industries in the region and most of the region is involved in agriculture. Those who do not own land work as labourers in the fields and move to Gujarat or Maharashtra during the rainy season. This to and fro without proper rail connectivity causes undue suffering for the people who need to move every year due to a lack of employment opportunities in the region.
Tribal Issues
In the Khargone Lok Sabha constituency, where tribal communities form the majority, elections see political parties vying for their support with attractive promises. Yet, the reality for these communities is far from ideal. They grapple with inadequate development, poor connectivity, limited employment opportunities, and even a lack of basic amenities. This exclusion from progress lies at the core of the challenges faced by tribal settlements in the region. Moreover, last year in Barwani, tribals held protests against a number of issues on World Tribal day. They protested against the ongoing violence in Manipur, the Forest Conservation Amendment Bill 2023 and the Chief Minister’s announcement of adding the Keer community into the Scheduled Tribe (ST) list. Discrimination is also one of the major issues in Khargone which came into the spotlight last year in July when a pregnant Tribal woman was forced to deliver the baby right outside the hospital as the Auxiliary Nursing Midwifery staff refused to admit her.
Infrastructure Development
Khargone Water Supply
A 30 MLD water treatment plant, 300 km long distribution network and four overhead tanks have been constructed here. Work was completed on March 6th, 2024, and the projects are now providing water supply to the people in Khargone municipality.
Bypasses to Ease Traffic Congestion
Work is ongoing for the Kasrawad Bypass, Selani Bypass, Khargone Bypass, and Bistan Bypass, which will together have a total length of 31.950 kms and will help in the flow of traffic on NH-347C. It will be constructed at a cost of 219 crore.
Lift Irrigation in Khargone
A lift irrigation system project of Narmada Valley development Authority at Khargone District is underway. Excavation, laying and jointing of prestressed pipes is being done. It will improve water supply in the region and provide farmers with better irrigation facilities. Last year, the state government also announced three lift irrigation schemes worth Rs 557 crore, aimed at improving agricultural infrastructure in the region. These include the Pipri, Chaundi-Jamanya, and Balakwara Micro Lift Irrigation Schemes.
Upgradation of District Hospital
In 2023, the state budget included health infrastructure upgradation for the many district hospitals in Madhya Pradesh, including the one in Khargone.
Educational Infrastructure
Educational infrastructure in the region was provided a boost last year as the chief minister inaugurated a satellite campus of Krantisurya Tantya Bhil University. More than 25,000 students from five districts, including Khargone, Khandwa, and Burhanpur are expected to benefit.
Voter Demographics
Total Voters: 18,21,019
SC: 167,534 (9.2%)
ST: 959,677 (52.7%)
Urban Voters: 287,721 (15.8%)
Rural Voters: 1,533,298 (84.2%)
Hindus: 92.5%
Muslims: 5.71%
Buddhists: 1.51%
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