Massive defection from Congress backs BJP for a clean sweep in MP
Bhopal: In the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections, the BJP has made a clean sweep in Madhya Pradesh. The party has even won those seats where the battle was considered tough, it could be possible due to Congress’ sitting MLAs who have switched over to the saffron party during the elections.
It was the strategy of MP Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav and the new joining cell convener of the party’s state unit Dr Narottam Mishra that Congress was to be weakened in the respective seats by joining the grand old party’s sitting MLAs to BJP during the polls.
BJP has won Morena, Gwalior, Bhind, Rajgarh, and Chhindwara seats where Congress was tough fighting the saffron party and was considered a strong position Congress there.
During the polls, Congress’ six-term MLA and former minister Ramniwas Rawat joined the BJP giving a big jolt to his party. Rawat, MLA from Vijaypur Assembly constituency which falls under the Morena Lok Sabha constituency, is a prominent OBC face in state politics and has a stronghold in the Gwalior-Chmbal region of the state.
He has also been a working president of the Congress state unit.
BJP has won the Morena seat with a margin of 52,530 votes only while it has secured a lead of 35,612 votes in the Vijaypur Assembly seat represented by Rawat. If Congress could have managed Rawat not to quit the party, the results may have gone in its favour.
Rawat’s defection impacted the results on Gwalior, Bhind and Rajgarh seats which may have been won by the Congress as his community has a substantial population in these constituencies and he has good connections with the community. BJP has won the Gwalior and Bhind seats with 70,210 and 64,840 votes respectively.
In the Rajgarh seat where Congress veteran Digvijaya Singh contested the election on the party ticket and lost by 1,46,089 votes. The Meena-Rawat community has a good presence in the Rajgarh seat.
Similarly, Kamlesh Shah, a sitting MLA of Congress from the Amarwara Assembly seat falls under the Chhindwara Lok Sabha constituency quit the Congress and joined the BJP during the elections. Shah was considered a close associate of former CM Kamal Nath. The BJP won the Chhindwara seat this time by 1,13,618 votes, the seat was considered a bastion of Nath.
His son Nakul Nath contested the election on a Congress ticket and lost. BJP has secured a lead of 28 thousand votes from the Amarwara Assembly seat. Chhindwara was a single seat which was won by Congress’ Nakul in the 2019 general elections in the state.
Likewise, Nirmala Spare, a Congress MLA from the Bina Assembly Constituency that falls under the Sagar Lok Sabha seat has also
switched to BJP amid the elections. BJP got a lead of 40,000 votes from the Bina constituency. Former MP Home Minister Dr Mishra has claimed around 8 Lakh Congress workers including MLAs, former Union and State Ministers, and ex-MLAs have joined the BJP during the last three months in the state.
