Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Infighting worries both the main parties- BJP and Congress even as just one day is left for polling in Khandwa Lok Sabha and three legislative assembly constituencies in the state, as per leaders from both the parties.
The three assembly constituencies include Raigaon (SC), Prithvipur and Jobat (ST).
On Thursday, state BJP president VD Sharma sacked from party Avadhesh Pratap Singh Rathore, an ex-state executive member in the party, on the ground of his alleged involvement in anti-party activities, as per a letter sent to Singh by state BJP general secretary Bhagwandas Sabnani.
The two political parties tried to assess the situation over there from their war rooms in Bhopal on Thursday while there is just one day left for the polling.
The polling will be held from 7 am to 6 pm on October 30 while counting of votes will take place on November 2. The results are expected the same day.
There are 26,50,004 voters in all the four constituencies who are expected to exercise their franchise on as many as 3944 polling booths. Of the polling booths 865 have been identified as sensitive booths. Webcasting will be done to monitor voting at 874 polling booths while CCTV will be installed at 361 booths for monitoring of the voting. As many as 10027 electronic voting machines (EVMs) will be used for voting, as per officials.
“After the election campaign came to an end on Wednesday evening now the time till the polling is held we are looking into all those areas where we need to step up our efforts and strengthen the network to better our poll prospects”, said a senior BJP leader talking to the Free Press on Thursday.
He said, “We are not as much concerned as the Opposition Congress as infighting in the constituencies which are witnessing bypolls. However, while we succeeded in pursuing rebellion candidates to withdraw their nomination papers we are keeping watch on all such elements who can cause trouble to us. This was the reason why a party leader in Prithvipur was expelled from the party today.”
Another BJP leader said, “We have not forgotten that how infighting cost us Damoh seat and we faced defeat against the Congress by a huge margin. The party leaders don’t want to take any chance this time.”
If BJP is worried over infighting the Congress is also sailing in the same boat. It has receiving reports regarding a section of party workers not supporting the party candidates particularly in Khandwa Lok Sabha constituency and Jobat assembly constituency.
However, the state Congress media coordinator Narendra Saluja said, “There is no infighting in the Congress and all the party workers and leaders are united in our fight against the BJP and its misrule.”
State BJP secretary Rajneesh Agrawal said, “The party is not worried over any kind of infighting as all the party workers and leaders are making all out efforts in all the constituencies for victory of the party candidate.”
Fact File
Lok Sabha constituency
Constituency: Khandwa
Candidates: BJP- Gyaneshwar Patil; Cong- Rajnarayan Singh
State assembly constituencies
Constituency: Jobat (ST)
Candidates: BJP- Sulochna Rawat; Cong: Mahesh Patel
Constituency: Raigaon (SC)
Candidates: BJP- Pratima Bagri; Congress- Kalpana Verma
Constituency: Prithvipur
Candidates: BJP- Shishupal Singh; Cong: Nitendra Rathore
