Namesake of minister in BJP's list creates confusion

When the BJP declared its first list of candidates for the upcoming Assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, it declared the name of a candidate called Narendra Singh Tomar from the Mandhata Assembly seat.

It led to tongues wagging as Union Minister for Rural Development Narendra Singh Tomar is considered a strong contender in the chance of a leadership-change in Madhya Pradesh.

Therefore, the list triggered speculation, which gained momentum both on social media and in political circles.

Tomar was quick to clarify on the mistake on Twitter. He said the Narendra Singh Tomar from Mandhata at serial number 137 is not him. "He is our other colleague. Please do not be misled," he said.

The tweet led to praise and scorn. The detractors of the BJP latched on to it target the Modi government.

The first list of the BJP for Madhya Pradesh has not declared candidates on seats such as Govindpura, represented by former chief minister Babulal Gaur, and Mhow, represented by prominent Brahmin face of BJP and general secretary in-charge of West Bengal, Kailash Vijayvargia.

The list was issued on Friday after a meeting of the BJP’s Central Election Committee that lasted hours, chaired by BJP chief Amit Shah and attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Candidates with the same or identical names have many a time added colour to political contests. Generally, they are ploys by rival parties to outwit each other.

In the Gujarat Assembly polls in 2017, JD (U) had fielded a candidate with the name of Chhotubhai Vasava, which befuddled voters.

This was when Chhotubhai Vasava, a well-known tribal leader from the JD (U) faction led by Sharad Yadav, was contesting on the autorickshaw symbol from Bhartiya Tribal Party against the BJP from the Jhagadia Assembly seat in 2017.

In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, a whopping 11 candidates with the same name had filed nominations from Mahasmund seat, creating discomfort for BJP's official nominee, Chandu Lal Sahu.

The BJP had then alleged that the other 10 candidates were propped by Ajit Jogi, then a Congress leader. BJP had even lodged a complaint with the Election Commission seeking the rejection of nominations by 100 independent namesake candidates.