Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The Congress is making a special plan for the constituencies of 26 leaders who defected to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and toppled its 15-month-old government.
The party organisation is weak in these constituencies. So, the Congress is keeping an eye on the BJP leaders who may take the party’s membership.
The party plans to deploy senior leaders in these seats to teach the defectors a lesson.
Nineteen leaders, with Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, defected to the BJP.
Besides those 19 MLAs, three other legislators of the party – Bisahulal Singh, Hardeep Singh Dang and Aidal Singh Kansana – left the Congress to join the BJP.
Before the by-election to these seats, three legislators of the Congress – Sumitra Kasdekar, Narayan Patel and Pradumnya Lodhi – defected to the BJP.
When the by-election to 28 seats was being held, another Congress legislator, Rahul Lodhi, resigned from the party.
Out of 26 seats, which the Congress won in 2018 assembly election, eight are still with the party.
Except for a few seats, the Congress’s position in the eight constituencies, which it won in the by-polls, is not very strong.
Against this backdrop, the party is planning to win back 26 seats.
To get back these seats, the Congress has set its eye on those leaders who are angry with the BJP.
Out of the eight seats, which the party won in the by-election, three went to the leaders who quit the BJP and contested the election on the Congress ticket.
Therefore, the Congress is again working on a strategy in the same way it did during the by-polls.
The party wants to bring BJP leaders to its fold and field them from these seats.
The party leaders have set their eyes on Deepak Joshi from Hatpipalya, Mudit Shejwar from Sanchi, Bhanwar Singh Shekhawat from Badnawar, Ramlal Rautel from Annupur, Rakesh Shukla from Mehgaon and KP Yadav from Mungawali.
The party is trying to bring back those workers who took the BJP membership during the by-elections which the Congress won.
Congress has separate plan for 26 seats
Sanwer, Surkhi, Sanchi, Bamhauri, Gwalior, Gwalior east, Badnawar, Hatpipalya, Ashoknagar, Mungawali, Ambah, Anuppur, Bhander, Pohri, Mehgaon, Mandhata, Nepanagar, Bada Malhara, Suwasra, Sumawali, Karera, Dimni, Gohad, Morena, Dabra and Damoh.
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