Congress, BJP Court MP's 'Babas' Ahead of Assembly Polls: Will It Help or Hurt?
The Quint"'Babas' and religious preachers have been actively involved in MP's politics since almost the beginning of Assembly elections in the state, albeit their ability to change voting patterns or results is very less than regarded," Vijay Dutt Shridhar, a journalist and founder of Madhav Sapre Museum of Newspapers and Research Institute, told The Quint. In MP, the intervention of religious preachers in politics has a long history – from Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati, who was known well for his sway over former chief minister Digvijaya Singh, to Sadhvi Uma Bharti, who is a godwoman and was appointed as the chief minister of the state in 2003. More recently, there has been an outpour of the general public in the events featuring Dhirendra Krishna Shastri or Pandit Pradeep Mishra. As per media reports, in February 2023, Mishra's event in the Sehore district was attended by around 20 lakh people.
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