Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Madhya Pradesh's Sidhi garnered national headlines after the 2023 Pee Gate incident, when a BJP leader allegedly urinated on a tribal man's face. Now that the Lok Sabha election results are on the doorstep, the tribal-dominated Sidhi will definitely be in the spotlight.
Just like many other seats, the BJP decided to pit a new face here instead of its sitting MP. The ruling party is rooting for its district in-charge, Dr. Rajesh Mishra, and the opposition Congress has placed its confidence in Kamleshwar Patel.
Two veterans battle for Sidhi
Congress footed its seasoned MLA, Kamleshwar Patel. Patel was elected for the first time in 2013 as a MLA from the Sihawal Vidhan Sabha constituency and retained the seat in the 2018 elections. Patel's father, Indrajeet Kumar, was a member of the Indian National Congress party and also a cabinet minister in the state.
On the other hand, Dr. Rajesh Mishra was a BSP stalwart who switched parties in 2009. Mishra contested assembly elections from Sidhi on the Bahujan Samajwadi Party ticket in 2008.
Both the BJP and INC have pitted experienced and seasoned politicians for the ever-important Sidhi seat.
What does the data say?
2019 Lok Sabha
Just like every other seat in the state, the BJP had an upper hand in Sidhi Lok Sabha Constituency as they footed their sitting MP, Riti Pathak, against INC's Ajay Singh.
The BJP's star candidate amassed a total of 6,97,212 votes against the Congress stalwart and won the electoral battle by a margin of 2,85,930 votes.
The ruling party's performance did not shock people, as the party had been winning every other seat in the state, with Chhindwara being the only exception.
2014 Lok Sabha
The 2014 Lok Sabha was an important election for the saffron party. The BJP did not give a ticket to its sitting MP, Govind Prasad Mishra; instead, they pitted Riti Pathak against Congress' Indrajeet Kumar.
The BJP won the Sidhi seat by a margin of 1,08,007 votes.
Voter data and analysis
According to the data, Sidhi has a grand total of 18 lakh eligible electors, and out of the 18 lakh electors, over 12 lakh people exercised their franchise and voted. This marked a voter turnout of 69%, which is over 10% higher than the 2014 general election.
The gender split is nearly equal, with 8,78,904 female electors and 9,65,014 male electors.
What do opinion polls say?
Sidhi was a Congress stronghold until they lost power in '98, with the BJP's Jagannath Singh winning the seat. Since then, there has been a constant power struggle between the saffron and the opponent Congress.
According to the India TV CNX opinion poll, the ruling party is set to sweep the state of Madhya Pradesh with all 29 seats.
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