Due to the death of Chief Minister Babulal Gaur's only son, the Bharatiya Janata Party government in Madhya Pradesh refrained from celebrating completion of one year in power.
But truth to tell, there was hardly anything to be glad about.
If the year -- during which people's hopes have been dashed -- is to be remembered for anything, it is former chief minister Uma Bharti's flip-flop and her departure from office, followed by her suspension from the BJP.
Non-governance, frequent transfers and postings of bureaucrats, charges of bribery in these transfers and postings, and allegations of nepotism have been some of the other highlights.
The government does not have much to boast of on the power front, which was one of the major poll planks.
Power cuts from division to tehsil levels, experienced during the Congress regime, have resumed, this time with more intensity. Bhopal, the state capital, has been spared, perhaps to avoid media attention.
Another factor that helped remove the 10-year-old Digvijay Singh government was the horrible condition of roads. There has been no tangible improvement on this front, too.
According to the CM, 1,200 kilometres of road have been constructed in this one year. Another 2,800 km will be added by June 2005, he adds.
The law and order situation is worse than it was under the Congress rule. If anything, communal tensions and the increasing problem of dacoits are giving more headaches to the police.
In the ravines of Chambal, the Gadaria and Gurjar bands of dacoits are giving problems. Churches were burnt down in Jhabua and communal tension took its toll in Bhopal.
The picture has not been too rosy for the BJP on the political front either. Bharti did not get along well with the party's office-bearers like state president Kailash Joshi and organisation general secretary Kaptan Singh Solanki.
Till her suspension, she also did not allow Gaur to function properly.
Gaur has, however, succeeded in winning over the bureaucracy and the media.
The BJP's achievements include victories in the Vidhan Sabha, Lok Sabha and urban bodies.
Besides, as Gaur says, the state's revenue has increased by 17 per cent and not a single overdraft took place in the past one year.
He says various programmes like the Dindayal Samarth Yojana, Dindayal Antyoday Upchar Yojana, Dindayal Rozgar Yojana and Ayodhya Basti will alter the development scenario.
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