Bhopal: The by-elections have brought the curtain down on a period of political strife in MP with the BJP winning 19 seats and the Congress nine.
The outcome in the 28 seats for which by-polls were held has yet again established that Shivraj Singh Chouhan is the most acceptable political face in the state.
These seats fell vacant following Jyotiraditya Scindia's crossover in March, which triggered the fall of the Kamal Nath government. All the party hoppers came out with flying colours. Seventeen leaders who had resigned from the Congress have won on BJP ticket.
In the by-polls, the Congress was pompous enough to tell the voters that if the party formed the government, Nath would become the chief minister. The voters have scoffed at this line of reasoning.
The career of 12 ministers was at stake in these by-elections; out of these, three ministers have lost and nine won. Among the ministers, Imarti Devi, Aidal Singh Kansana and Giriraj Dandotia lost.
The BJP’s triumph in Malwa-Nimar region shows the party has done extremely well in those areas where Chouhan and the BJP wield influence. But the BJP did not rise to expectations in those areas where Scindia has clout. Of course, the BJP has won all the four Assembly segments in Scindia’s old Lok Sabha constituency, Guna. But the Congress’s victory in Chambal and Gwalior indicate that Scindia’s writ is not very effective.
In all fairness, PM Modi had put his weight behind three-time Chief Minister Chouhan when the Congress government fell in March. Now, Chouhan was expected to deliver these seats to the party.
The BJP’s resounding success has rattled MPCC president Nath, who has turned the party into a one-man show.
