Union Home Minister Amit Shah will release the Madhya Pradesh government's "report card" in Bhopal on Sunday (August 20) and address the BJP's working committee meeting in Gwalior, the home turf of Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, news agency PTI reported citing a party functionary.
"Shahji will come here (Bhopal) in the morning of August 20 to release the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government's report card at a function. Following that, he will travel to Gwalior to chair and address a working committee meeting," Ashish Agrawal, state BJP media cell head, told PTI on Saturday.
According to the report, preparations have been made for BJP MLAs, MPs, district presidents, and general secretaries to attend the Gwalior meeting. Approximately 1,500 party officials are expected to attend the meeting, which will likely finalise the party's strategy for the upcoming elections, it said.
This meeting is significant because it is the final gathering of the state's working committee before Madhya Pradesh goes to the polls, which are scheduled for the end of the year.
One BJP leader shared, "We intend to expand our presence in Gwalior, historically linked to the Scindias' legacy," PTI reported.
Political analysts note that the BJP is attempting to strengthen its position in the Gwalior and Chambal region, especially after losing the Gwalior mayoral elections to the Congress last year, effectively ending the BJP's 57-year reign, the report said.
This marks Shah's second visit to the state in the past three weeks. On July 30, he addressed booth-level workers in the Indore district.
In the 2018 assembly elections, the Congress secured victory in 26 out of 34 seats in the Gwalior and Chambal region. During that time, Jyotiraditya Scindia was a part of the Congress.
However, after Scindia's defection to the BJP, along with his loyal supporters, the Congress could only manage to win 7 out of 19 seats in the Gwalior and Chambal bypolls held in November 2020.