With the Madhya Pradesh election approaching its climax, both the incumbent BJP and the Congress are heavily relying on OBC and women voters to secure victory.
The Congress has adopted the slogan "Jitni aabadi, utna haq" (rights proportional to population) and has repeatedly pledged to conduct a caste census under the leadership of party president Mallikarjun Kharge and senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. They have also advocated for an OBC quota within women's reservation.
Meanwhile, the most significant selling point for four-time Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan remains his government's women-centric programs.
However, in terms of ticket distribution, the emphasis on OBC or women voters is less pronounced. The BJP, which has provided the state with three consecutive OBC CMs – Uma Bharti, Babu Lal Gaur, and Chouhan – holds a slight edge over the Congress in terms of OBC candidates. While the BJP has fielded 71 OBC candidates, representing 30% of its total, the Congress has nominated 62, accounting for 27% of its total.