A test for Scindia's maiden saffron venture in Gwalior

Bhopal: The Gwalior and Chambal regions, with 34 Assembly seats, will test the political clout of many heavyweights in the upcoming assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, including the Scindia scion, Jyotiraditya Scindia. All eyes are specially on Scindia as it is going to be his first electoral fight from the BJP camp.

The Gwalior and Chambal regions had switched the fortunes for the Congress in March 2020, when Jyotiraditya brought down the Kamal Nath-led Congress government and walked into the BJP camp with 22 supporters, 16 of whom were from this belt.

The Congress had won 115 of the total 230 seats in Madhya Pradesh in the 2018 Assembly elections. Although the BJP couldn't retain the power in MP, having secured only 109 seats, it reaped dividends after Scindia's rebellion just 15 months later. However, in the by-election held for 28 seats, Scindia's loyalists managed to win only 8 seats.

The Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led BJP government awarded Scindia loyalists with ministerial berths, while those who lost at the hustings were accommodated within the rank-and-file of corporations.

Jan Sangh links

Jyotiraditya Scindia may be seen as a Congress leader who crossed over to the BJP, but his family's affinity towards the saffron party dates back to 1967. His grandmother, Vijayaraje Scindia, though was initiated into politics through a Congress ticket in 1957, became a member of the Jansangh (the BJP's pre-Emergency avatar) a decade later. During her political stint, Vajayaraje represented both Houses of Parliament for eight terms.

Her son, Madhavrao Scindia, too, contested his first election as a Jan Sangh candidate in 1971, and his second one as an Independent from Guna/Shivpuri in 1977. He joined the Congress in 1980 and continued his winning streak until his untimely death. In 1984, Madhavrao had defeated Atal Behari Vajpayee from the Gwalior Lok Sabha seat.

After his death, his son, Jyotiraditya, took forward from where his father left, by joining the Congress. He won the by-election with a record margin of 4.5 lakh votes, surpassing the previous highest victory margin set by Ramvilas Paswan.

But there seemed a simmering resentment against the Congress for some time. Scindia then looked for a re-entry into Parliament after having lost the 2019 Lok Sabha and was allegedly eyeing one of the two Rajya Sabha seats from the Madhya Pradesh quota. The matter reached a flashpoint when the Congress suddenly nominated senior advocate, Vivek Tankha, a close confidant of Digvijaya. Scindia quit the Congress in a huff on March 10, 2020, his father's 75th birth anniversary, and joined the BJP.

BJP upbeat

For Scindia, this is his first election as a BJP member. A number of his loyalists in this region have been given tickets. So his influence and ability to mobilize support for the saffron party is going to be put to test. The mood is upbeat, as was expressed by a senior BJP leader and former state vice-president, Ved Prakash Sharma, who said, “Scindia will only strengthen the party's prospects. All tickets to candidates were given on the basis of survey report and report card. The final decision was taken by the central election committee in Delhi.”

Other BJP heavyweights from the region who are in the fray include Union ministers, Narendra Singh Tomar and Fuggan Singh Kulaste. Tomar is contesting from Dimin against Congress MLA Ravindra Tomar (Bhidosa) and Balveer Dandotia of the BSP.

But senior Congress leader Ajay Singh claims that the BJP will be routed in this election. "People are frustrated with the corrupt BJP regime and there is an undercurrent against their misrule," he said.

The region comprises eight eights districts: Sheopur (2 seats), Morena (6 seats), Bhind (5 seats), Datia (3 seats), Gwalior (6 seats), Shivpuri (5 seats), Guna (4 seats) and Ashoknagar (3 seats).