Jyotiraditya Scindia's exit to benefit Congress in Madhya Pradesh, says Govind Singh

The Congress stands to gain from his departure, and it was evidently reflected in the local body election following his exit, he said.

Bhopal: With the exit of Jyotiraditya Scindia from the Congress, this would be the first election in over five decades that no one from the Scindia family is part of the grand old party in Madhya Pradesh. In this interview with DH’s Umesh Singh, Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly and seven-time MLA Govind Singh remarked that the exit of Jyotiraditya Scindia will actually benefit the party.

You have been a critic of Scindia. But he remains a dominant political figure in the state?

The Congress stands to gain from his departure, and it was evidently reflected in the local body election following his exit. Congress recorded a historic victory in the mayor election winning the Gwalior mayor seat after 50 years and Morena mayor seat as well. New faces and more energetic leaders will now get a chance to work in the party. By switching sides, he (Scindia) betrayed the people’s mandate, and he will be treated in the same manner by the public.

Congress has announced 229 out of 230 candidates for the 2023 election. What were the selection criteria and party position in the upcoming Assembly election?

The selection criterion was democratic and transparent. Various surveys were conducted, and reports were submitted to the screening committee and finally to the central election committee to take the final call. There is unity among party leaders and workers, barring a few cases of unhappiness reported here and there that is quite obvious because everyone aspires for tickets, but seats are limited. Congress is extremely confident to sweep the election this time.

BJP has fielded senior MPs, including Narendra Singh Tomar, Prahlad Patel, Rakesh Singh, Ganesh Singh, Faggan Singh Kulaste etc., in the Assembly election. How do you view it?

The credibility of the BJP is low. Reports of their corruption, immoral activities, high-handedness, misrule, atrocity against weaker section, Dalits etc., are already in the public domain. So, as a last-ditch effort, they are trying something different, but they will fail miserably. Even their tallest leader, Modi, cannot bail them out from this crisis.

What prompted you to change three names from the first list?

Actually, the three names were shortlisted and finalised following the due course of procedure. Later, names were changed considering the caste equation besides winnability. K P Singh is a strong contender and has taken responsibility for victory for the Pichor (represented by him) seat being finalised on his recommendation.