Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Two former chief ministers of the state, are eyeing to return to Lok Sabha after decades gap, from neighbouring constituencies in the state. Five-time MP from Vidisha, BJP’s Shivraj Singh Chouhan eyes a return to Parliament from the same seat two decades later, while his predecessor on CM’s chair Congress’ Digvijaya Singh (who last won Rajgarh seat in 1991) will take on Chouhan’s loyalist and second-time sitting MP Rodmal Nagar from Rajgarh.
On both seats, the elections will be held in the third phase (May 7) and house the home assembly segments of the two former CMs. While the Rajgarh constituency houses Guna district’s Raghogarh seat (won since 2013 by Singh’s ex-minister son Jaivardhan Singh), the Vidisha constituency houses the Budhni assembly segment from where Chouhan is the sixth-time sitting MLA.
The Congress, however, hasn't named its candidate till now to take on Chouhan from Vidisha. Though Chouhan and Singh are contesting from separate but adjoining seats, Chouhan is likely to campaign proactively against Singh, in support of his loyalist Rodmal Nagar, who is not only pitted against the Congress veteran but may also have to face internal sabotage, as a large section of the organisation in three districts forming part of the seat were not supportive of party ticket to him. The Rajgarh seat houses eight assembly segments of three districts- Rajgarh, Guna and Agar-Malwa.
The seat has been won seven times by members of the ex-CM’s family, including Singh himself in 1984 and 1991 and by younger brother Laxman Singh five times between 1999 and 2004 (as BJP candidate in 2004). Such has been an influence in the constituency that he got his brother and sitting BJP MP brother Laxman Singh lose as saffron party candidate in 2009 to Congress candidate Narayan Singh Amlabe.
The battle this time isn’t going to be easy for the sitting BJP MP Rodmal Nagar, particularly as Singh has hinted that it may be his last LS election as a candidate. It is believed that though the Rajgarh contest will be a tough one this time, still, given the kind of PM Narendra Modi-powered wave the BJP is riding on, the septuagenarian ex-CM may find it hard to replicate the magic from the same seat as he did in 1984 and 1991.
With the kind of support that the BJP currently enjoys across the constituency, particularly among the female voters after the Ram Temple consecration in Ayodhya, the contest isn’t going to be easy for Singh now, particularly as the RSS-BJP workers will try hard to rake up his anti-Hindu statements of the past.
