Bhopal: The BJP swept Madhya Pradesh Sunday, nevertheless it was a combined bag for Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia as a handful of his loyalists misplaced their seats in his bastion, the state’s Gwalior-Chambal area.
This was the primary meeting election since Scindia left the Congress with 22 MLAs and joined the BJP. The area has 34 of the state’s 230 seats, and the election was seen as a check of the erstwhile royal’s clout.
On this election, the BJP has practically doubled its 2018 tally within the area — seven to 17 received — however remains to be in need of what the Congress received final time, 26. The latter has received 16 seats this time.
The Gwalior-Chambal area has eight districts, of which 5 — Gwalior, Shivpuri, Datia, Ashoknagar, and Guna — fall underneath the Gwalior area. Morena, Bhind and Sheopur are in Chambal. All these districts had been a part of the erstwhile Scindia kingdom.
There are 21 seats in Gwalior, together with 4 from Guna, Scindia’s Lok Sabha constituency. The BJP received 12 whereas the Congress received the remaining 9 seats.
Chambal has 13 seats, of which the BJP had received in six, in comparison with two in 2018, whereas the Congress received in seven.
In 2020, Scindia, a chief ministerial aspirant within the Congress, converted to the BJP and was made Rajya Sabha MP and Union minister. This led the 15-month-old authorities led by Congress veteran Kamal Nath to fall.
A number of of his loyalists pivotal in bringing down the Congress authorities in 2020 got tickets by the BJP this time.
As many as 18 Scindia loyalists among the many incumbent MLAs had been fielded by the BJP throughout Madhya Pradesh. Three others who misplaced within the 2020 bypolls received tickets as nicely — former state girls and youngster improvement minister Imarti Devi, Raghuraj Kansana from Morena meeting seat in Morena, and Aidal Singh Kansana in Sumaoli in Morena.
Of the 18 Scindia loyalists fielded by the BJP, 10 received whereas the remaining eight misplaced, together with three sitting ministers and Chairman of State Civil Provides Company Restricted.
Political analyst Rasheed Kidwai mentioned the spectacular victory of the BJP swept throughout all areas of Madhya Pradesh, and it was not simply Gwalior-Chambal that had seen enchancment.
“The victory is beyond the contribution of independent leaders, whether it is Scindia or (CM) Shivraj Singh Chouhan. It is the Modi factor that seems to have worked and swept not just MP, but also Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan,” Kidwai added.
“There is a definite contribution of individual leaders, but now moving forward it will be the Centre that will decide which leader needs to remain in the state, and who will move to the Centre.”
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How Scindia loyalists fared
Of the 18 Scindia loyalists who got tickets, 10 received and the remaining misplaced. At the least 5 misplaced within the Gwalior-Chambal area. This comes at a time when the BJP managed to win 163 seats within the 230-seat meeting, and 18 of them fall within the Gwalior-Chambal area, which has a complete 34 seats.
Panchayat and Rural Growth Minister Mahendra Singh Sisodia misplaced from Bamori in Guna by a margin of 14,000 votes, whereas Imarti Devi misplaced from Dabra, and Raghuraj Kansana from Morena.
Past Gwalior and Chambal, Rajvardhan Dattigaon, Minister of Business Coverage and Funding Promotion, misplaced to the Congress’ Bhawar Singh Shekhawat in Badhawar.
Suresh Ratkhede misplaced the Pohri seat in Shivpuri district to the Congress’ Kailash Khushwaha. Scindia’s aunt Maya Singh misplaced from Gwalior-East to the Congress’ Satish Shikharwar.
BJP leaders informed ThePrint that Scindia was by no means thought-about a possible chief ministerial nominee.
“He is at the Centre, doing good work. Why would he suddenly want to shift from the Centre without a cause?” mentioned a pacesetter. “He can always become the chief minister in the next tenure.”
One other chief added that “age is on Scindia’s side”.
Whereas the BJP is but to announce a CM candidate, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who has led the state for 18 years, is seen as a frontrunner. The BJP leaders quoted above mentioned it might be appropriate for Scindia if Chouhan continued as CM, as they “enjoy a good rapport”.
(Edited by Sunanda Ranjan)
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