Both Congress and BJP are confident of their victory in the by-election to 28 seats.
Yet there are a few seats that the ruling party leaders are keen to lose.
Twelve ministers have contested the by-polls. Besides that, two ministers Tulsi Silawat and Govind Rajput resigned in the run-up to polls, because they completed six months after resigning from the House.
The BJP leaders, deprived of the ministerial berths during the cabinet expansion, have set their eyes on these 14 seats.
Among the ministers, Imarti Devi, Prabhuram Choudhary, Mahendra Sisodia, Pradyumnya Singh Tomar, Hardeep Singh Dang, Rajyawardhan Singh Dattigaon, Aidal Singh Kansana, Bisahulal Singh, Girraj Singh Dandotia, Suresh Dhakad, Brijendra Yadav and OPS Bhadauria are in the electoral fray.
Many of them are facing a big challenge from their rivals. The BJP legislators who could not become ministers are keenly watching these contests.
On the one hand, these legislators wish the BJP won as many seats as possible. On the other hand, they are taking feedback on the position of these ministers in the contest.
When the cabinet was expanded in July, former ministers Rampal Singh, Rajendra Shukla, Ajay Bishnoi, Nagendra Singh, Sanjay Pathak, Paras Jain and Gouri Shanker Bisen did not get ministerial berths.
They were deprived of cabinet berths, since the party wanted to give an opportunity to new faces, besides there was no room in the ministry.
Those legislators hope if some of the ministers lose the elections, they will get an opportunity to become ministers.
There are 34 ministers, including Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Now, only one berth is lying vacant.
The ministers are facing tough fight in Surkhi, Sanchi, Dabra, Dimni, Pohri, Mungaoli and Mehgaon.
Besides the BJP leaders, those who defected to the ruling party from the Congress have set their eyes on the above seats.
A few former Congress law-makers, like Ranveer Jatav Manoj Choudhary, Munnalal Goyal and other who switched over to the BJP could not become ministers.
They also hope if some of the ministers lose the by-polls, they may become ministers on Jyotiraditya Scindia’s recommendations.
Three other former Congress legislators who made a flight to the BJP hope to win the by-elections.
They are Pradyumnya Singh Lodhi, Sumitra Kastekar and Narayan Patel. They think if they win, they will get ministerial berths.
