In 50 years, Congress yet to get a new office for party in this region of Madhya Pradesh
Sravani Sarkar
NewsBits.in
BHOPAL/JHABUA: A surprise awaits anybody who visits the office of the grand old party in this part of Madhya Pradesh.
In an era when political parties operate from posh offices, the Congress functions from this decrepit structure.
The strategies to win the seats in this tribal dominated region were formulated at this very office.
It takes a lot of asking and meandering through dense market by-lanes at Thandla Gate of the district headquarters to reach this office. And one is left stunned at what one confronts.
Perpendicularly situated from an abandoned crumbling district office of the BJP stands the district headquarters of Congress – an equally decrepit, rusted corrugated-sheet roofed structure with overgrowth of bushes near the roof and moss-laden outer walls.
It is working from this at least 50 year old office that the Congress this time wrested two out of three assembly constituencies in Jhabua – Petlawad and Thandla. It only lost the main Jhabua seat from where Congress stalwart Kantilal Bhuria’s son Vikrant was contesting.
In 2013, BJP had two seats here and the third had gone to an independent, who later got affiliated to BJP and was its candidate from Thandla. In times when parties put up huge offices and when BJP built palatial office in national capital at an estimated cost of over Rs 1000 crore, the office of current ruling party in tribal-dominated Jhabua district of Madhya Pradesh is worth a watch.
BJP has shifted to a new office in Jhabua, Congress still hopes to get a better place
The BJP, that had a stint of 15 years in MP, shifted its headquarters to a rather good structure in New Housing Board area, but the Congress continues to function from the Thandla gate office. Though it remains locked most of time now, it saw a lot of activities during elections, locals said.
Congress district president, Nirmal Mehta confirmed to NewsBits that the Thandla Gate structure was its official district headquarters and has been so for 50 years. “Now we may try to get a new office,” he said.
