The Madhya Pradesh government has confirmed that nine caste-based welfare boards created ahead of the 2023 assembly elections have now been dissolved, triggering a political exchange between the ruling BJP and the Opposition Congress. The decision was disclosed in the state assembly on Monday, where minister Gautam Tetwal stated that all nine boards were wound up in September after completing their two-year term.
These boards were announced by former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in the run-up to the elections, with the promise of uplifting communities such as the Vishwakarma, Rajak, Telghani, Kush, Rajput and Meena groups. They were expected to provide skill development training, entrepreneurship support, employment opportunities and loans for establishing small businesses. The chairpersons were granted perks equivalent to a state minister, including vehicles, allowances and administrative support.
Tetwal revealed that the government allocated ₹8.34 crore for the functioning of these boards, but they were dissolved without any formal review. According to the data presented, district-level meetings were never organised, six of the boards held only one state-level meeting, and three did not meet even once. He added that despite the provision of perks and facilities for board members, virtually no funds were spent on actual welfare work. Several boards were left incomplete, with key positions unfilled. The Maharana Pratap Board had no chairman or secretary, while the Telghani and Jai Meenesh boards never received member appointments. The Rajak and Veer Tejaji boards had only one member each. Outsourced contractual staff recruited in late 2024 were also removed between April and August 2025.
Congress MLA Pratap Gerewal criticised the move, asserting that the boards were created merely to influence communities before the elections. He alleged that a few BJP leaders enjoyed ministerial privileges for two years while the intended beneficiaries saw no real progress. Gerewal called the initiative “false appeasement” that existed only on paper rather than delivering meaningful results.
BJP spokesperson Rajneesh Agrawal defended the dissolution, saying it was a policy decision and emphasised that the government remains committed to the development of all communities in the state. With the dissolution now official, the debate continues over whether the boards were a genuine welfare effort or an election-year strategy that ended without achieving measurable outcomes.
