Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Yadav politics seems to be hotting-up in Madhya Pradesh's Guna Lok Sabha constituency, which before 2019 was the impregnable political fort of erstwhile Gwalior State's Scindia royal family.
Seven months before the year-end assembly polls in the state, the opposition Congress on Wednesday made a dent into one of the oldest Yadav families of the ruling BJP in Guna parliamentary constituency, where over 20 per cent or around 3.25 lakh of the total voters hail from the same powerful OBC caste.
Rao Yadvendra Singh Yadav, the BJP-supported Ashok Nagar District Panchayat member and elder son of three-time former BJP MLA from Mungaoli seat Rao Deshraj Singh Yadav, joined the Congress.
"My father and my family have for decades been associated with BJP and have built the party in the Mungaoli assembly segment and entire Ashok Nagar district. But in the last three years, since Jyotiraditya Scindia joined the BJP with supporters, the core BJP workers are being ignored and insulted in the entire region, where corruption is rampant now. I've decided to join Congress, after long consultations with people of my area," Yadvendra said.
Yadavendra switched to Congress three months after Ajay Yadav
Importantly, Yadvendra, his mother and wife - all three are presently Ashok Nagar District Panchayat members with BJP support. His younger brother Ajay Pratap Singh Yadav was appointed vice-chairperson of MP State Backward Caste-Minorities Finance Development Corporation by the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government a year back.
While Yadvendra's father Rao Deshraj Singh Yadav was BJP MLA from Mungaoli seat in 1990, 1998 and 2008, he was the runners up from the same seat of Ashok Nagar district in 1993, 2003 and 2013 assembly polls. Also, as the BJP candidate Rao Deshraj Singh Yadav had lost in 1999 from Guna Lok Sabha seat to ex-Union minister late Madhavrao Scindia and in 2002 by-poll to Scindia's son and present Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.
Yadvendra's switch to the Congress happened just three months after first-time BJP MP from Guna seat Dr KP Yadav's (who had defeated Scindia by 1.25 lakh votes in 2019 LS polls) brother Ajay Yadav had joined the Congress.
Yadvendra may get fielded from Mungaoli
As per key sources in the state Congress, the party may field Rao Yadvendra Singh Yadav from Mungaoli seat of Ashok Nagar district (represented presently by Jyotiraditya Scindia-loyalist Madhya Pradesh minister Brajendra Singh Yadav), the present Guna BJP MP's brother Ajay Yadav could be fielded from any other Yadav dominated seat of eight assembly seats-strong Guna parliamentary constituency.
Importantly, the Yadav caste constitutes over 20 per cent of the total voters of Guna Lok Sabha seat - whose eight assembly segments are spread in three districts, Guna, Shivpuri and Ashok Nagar.
Out of these eight assembly segments, in at least four, including Mungaoli, Chanderi and Ashok Nagar (all in Ashok Nagar district) and Kolaras (Shivpuri district), the Yadav caste holds a decisive sway, particularly in the event of close contests.
KP Yadav getting ignored?
Importantly, the first-time BJP MP from Guna LS seat, Dr KP Yadav (who defeated political mentor Jyotiraditya Scindia in 2019) too has regularly been complaining to government authorities as well the ruling party's state and central leadership, about being ignored at various government events in his own parliamentary constituency.
He has been writing since last many months about his name missing from plaques of foundation laying ceremonies/public unveiling of projects, particularly in Bamori assembly segment, which is represented by Scindia-loyalist three-times sitting MLA and Madhya Pradesh cabinet minister Mahendra Sisodiya.
Recently, the Guna MP's staff has written to district collector, about the defacing of Yadav's image on a water tanker funded by the MP only for Bamori assembly segment in Guna district.
