Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has entered the election arena with a strategy after taking lesion from his defeat in the 2019 Lok Sabha election.
Scindia is popular among the people of Guna and Shivpuri from where he is contesting the election. A team of BJP workers and leaders is assisting him in electioneering, but he is not overconfident of his victory. The Congress has fielded Yadvendra Singh Yadav against Scindia. Yadav was associated with the BJP and defected to the Congress before the assembly election. His father Rao Deshraj Singh Yadav has been a four-time BJP legislator.
Yadvendra fought the assembly seat from Mugawali in 2023, but he lost. His family members also joined the Congress before the assembly election. But before the Lok Sabha election, they returned to the BJP camp. Caste equation looks important in this Lok Sabha constituency. Yadvendra is counting on 2, 00,000 Yadav voters. Besides the Yadavs, SC, ST, Lodhi, Kirar, Raghuwanshi, Jain and Vaish voters play an important role in this constituency. The Congress is pinning its hope on the Yadav, SC, ST and Muslim voters.
In the 2019 election, BJP candidate KP Yadav defeated Scindia. The Yadavs are angry with the BJP after the party denied a ticket to KP Yadav. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, however, quelled this angry community to some extent. Shah’s statement on not to worry about ‘KP’ seems to have gone in favour of Scindia. The chances of the entire Yadav votes going to the Congress now look dim. This is the reason why the BJP is trying to woo OBC and other communities, too.
Apart from Shah, BJP’s national president JP Nadda, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, party’s state unit president VD Sharma and former chief minister Uma Bharti canvassed for Scindia. Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath is also scheduled to campaign for Scindia. This clearly indicates that he is not ready to take any risk this time.
BJP Has 6 Assembly Seats, Congress 2
The Congress candidates won two assembly seats – Bamhori and Ashoknagar – which come under the Guna-Shivpuri Lok Sabha constituency. The BJP has won Shivpuri, Pichchore, Kolaras, Chanderi, Guna and Mugawali seats. As far as the Lok Sabha election is concerned, the Congress looks stronger than its rival in Bamhori and Mugawali seats. On the other hand, the BJP is on a strong wicket in six other assembly constituencies.
Besides canvassing, Scindia Talks to People Over Phone
As soon as Jyotiraditya Scindia sets out of his residence for campaigning, he calls up his supporters from his vehicle. He speaks to 250-300 people daily. At public meetings, he speaks about the century-old association of his family with the people of this constituency. He also speaks about the help that he provided to the people during the covid-19 pandemic. Scindia also keeps away from mentioning the name of KP Yadav and Congress candidate Yadvendra Yadav.
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