Rebellion leaders denied tickets worry BJP in Madhya Pradesh

Rebellion some of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmakers and leaders, who have been denied ticket for the upcoming assembly election, may durb the party’s carefully carved caste balance in election bound Madhya Pradesh, especially in Vindhya region, where the party’s winning strike rate was best in 2018 elections, party leaders familiar with the matter said. The major problem for the BJP is emerging from the Vindhya region, where the party won on 80% of the seats in 2018 elections. (File Photo) A senior party functionary said the major problem for the party is emerging from the Vindhya region, where the party won on 80% of the seats denying Congress majority in 2018 elections, particularly after the second l of 39 party candidates was made public. The Congress missed the majority mark 2 seats and had to seek support from the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Samajwadi Party (SP) and Independent MLAs to form its government in 2018. Close to Uttar Pradesh, Vindhya region, which has 30 assembly seats, is known for bitter caste politics with Brahmin dominance. The BJP won 24 of them last time and six went to the Congress. Apparently to negate anti-incumbency this time, the BJP-led state government has created two new dricts in the region in September Mauganj and Maihar. Besides, former miner and influential leader in the region Rajendra Shukla was inducted in the state cabinet about a month ago. However, Kedarnath Shukla, sitting BJP MLA from Sidhi seat in the region was denied ticket and he has announced his contest from the seat against the official candidate. A second BJP functionary said, “The party leadership had a solid ground to deny ticket to Kedarnath Shukla on Sidhi seat after his local representative Pravesh Shukla was accused in infamous urination on a tribal that drew massive criticism from across the country. However, Shukla, who won the seat three times in a row, knows well that it’s difficult for the party to overlook him given his importance in the framework of caste politics. After denial of ticket to him, a few BJP workers have already resigned from the party.” Kedarnath Shukla on October 2 announced he has no option left but to contest the upcoming elections as an independent candidate and that he would take out a ‘nyay yatra (a march for justice)’ while claiming injustice was meted out to him his party. The second functionary said, “Shukla’s confidence that he can win the election stems from the fact that Brahmins in Sidhi are already upset with the government, given the manner in which house of Pravesh Shukla’s house was demolished after the urination case, as a result of which his family members were almost on the streets.” A third BJP functionary said another Brahmin leader and sitting MLA from Maihar, Narayan Tripathi, has floated his own party to demand creation of a Vindhya state. “To negate the same, the state government had to announce creation of the new drict, Maihar, which is his home turf,” he said. Party leaders said there is a growing dissent over candidature of local MP, Ganesh Singh, from Satna seat. Singh is one of the eight MPs whose names figured as candidates in the second l. BJP’s Brahmin leader Ratnakar Chaturvedi has announced that he will contest against Singh as an independent candidate. The BJP is also facing protests outside Vindhya. The party faced a major protest a section of party workers over the candidature of ex-miner Lalita Yadav from Chhattarpur in Bundelkhand region, having 26 assembly seats, in the first l announced in August. The party has not been able to quell dissidence so far over there, the third-party functionary said. In 2018, the BJP won 10 seats, the Congress 14 and one each went to the BSP and SP. Former BJP Chhatarpur drict president Ghasiram Patel has resigned from the party has announced candidature of Arvind Pateriya on Rajnagar seat, which Patel was eyeing. Patel recently met SP president Akhilesh Yadav at Khajuraho and told local media persons that he would contest as an independent candidate if the party didn’t consider his candidature. Former BJP MLA Mahendra Bagri from Panna drict in Bundelkhand resigned from the party and joined Congress on denial of ticket last week. The second party functionary said that upper castes and OBCs including Lodhi and Yadav dominate the politics in Bundelkhand and the region has sizeable Scheduled Caste voters. “Rebellion some senior leaders there is not good news. We are trying to minimise the impact,” he said. In Gwalior-Chambal region, another region known for domination of caste politics, the ruling party is facing challenges due to resentment in the party’s rank and file over ticket dribution. Candidature of ex-miner Lal Singh Arya on Gohad seat in Bhind region has not gone down well with a section of the party. Former MLA Ranvir Rawat has already expressed his displeasure over the same and met the party election campaign committee convener Narendra Singh Tomar recently. A video went viral on social media in which members of Kushwah samaj were seen taking an oath that they would not vote for Arya. Ex-MLA from Chachoda seat in Guna, Mamata Meena, resigned from the party to join the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in September third week after the BJP announced candidature of Priyanka Meena on the seat. Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh’s younger brother Laxman Singh is sitting Congress MLA on the seat. BJP spokesperson Narendra Saluja said, “The BJP is a big party and a Parivar unlike the Congress. We have a good number of capable leaders who can win elections and defeat the Congress. Every worker in the party is a disciplined worker and he will work for the party candidates wholeheartedly.” “Exciting news! Hindustan Times is now on WhatsApp Channels Subscribe today clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!” Click here! ABOUT THE AUTHOR Ranjan Srivastava leads HT’s coverage from Bhopal. He has spent more than two decades in journalism in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, covering political and other affairs. For the past 16 years, he has been working in Madhya Pradesh. …view detail