India, Oct. 22 -- The Congress party's much-touted nationwide campaign 'Vote Chor, Gaddi Chhod' (Vote thief, vacate the chair) has lost steam almost immediately after its launch in Madhya Pradesh. Despite extensive preparations, high-level meetings and the appointment of in-charges across districts and assembly segments, the campaign has failed to make any visible impact on the ground.

The drive, launched across the country on October 15, was intended to target the BJP on allegations of electoral manipulation and weakening of democratic institutions. In Madhya Pradesh, however, the campaign has barely begun. Congress leaders, who were highly active and vocal before the launch, seem to have vanished from the scene ever since the official ...