State Congress spokesman Bhupendra Gupta said that the three former BJP leaders named will give a stiff challenge to Jyotiraditya Scindia loyalists – Munnalal Goyal and ministers Govind Singh Rajput and Aidel Singh Kansana.

BJP has not yet announced the candidates for the upcoming by-polls, but Goyal, Kansana and Rajput are likely to get tickets, party sources said.

Satish Sikarwar had contested the 2018 assembly elections from the Gwalior East on BJP ticket but was defeated by the Congress candidate Munna Lal Goyal. Goyal was one of the 22 Congress MLAs – Scindia supporters – who resigned in March and later joined BJP.
Parul Sahu had won the Surkhi assembly seat in 2013, but she was denied a ticket by the party in 2018 assembly polls and the BJP candidate lost to Govind Rajput who was in the Congress. Parul Sahu was peeved at denial of ticket and had staked her claim for ticket from Surkhi for the by-poll. But, with party making Rajput Minister and sure to field him, Parul moved to the Congress. Similarly Ajab Singh Kuswaha who contested on a BJP ticked from Sumawali and lost to Aidel Singh Kansana had joined Congress in June.

The resignation of 22 MLAs resulted in collapse of the 15 month old Congress government of Kamal Nath.

Later three more legislators resigned from Congress while another three seats are lying vacant due to the death of sitting MLAs bringing down the effective strength of the assembly to 202.

Although BJP has not yet announced list of candidates who will contest from the 28 constituencies but it has launched its campaign. The BJP has adopted unique strategy to contact voters. The strategy has been named as mahajansampark (mega publicity drive) . The campaign which was kicked off on September 25 with an aim to reach 10 lakh homes and block level meetings in rural and urban areas of the state, ended on September 28.

On 28th September several members of Lok Samata Party (LSP) led by its state president Rajkumar Kushwaha joined BJP in the presence of chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Kushwaha said that the party members joined ruling BJP due to its “pro people pro-poor politics”.

Under the mega publicity campaign, BJP workers contacted voters on 7,815 polling centres with an aim to reach 10 lakh houses in the poll bound 28 constituencies. BJP election management committee convener Bhupendra Singh said in two days the party workers had covered 615 sectors and also distributed relief material to the needy.

Due the changes in the All India organisation of the BJP, the selection has become somewhat difficult The MP unit of the BJP suffered set back because of exclusion of four national vice presidents – Prabhat Jha, Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Uman Bharti – in the BJP rejig by party national president JP Nadda.

For MP the biggest changes in the rejig were the elevation of the SC-ST leadership as former minister Lal Singh Arya was appointed the national president of the Scheduled Caste Front ( BJP Anusuchit Jati Morcha) while his colleague and senior tribal leader Omprakash Dhurve was elevated to the post of secretary in the new team. These appointments have given a clear indication that BJP is trying to further strengthen its base among the SCs-STs in the state. Party stalwart from Malwa region, Kailash Vijayvargiya continues to be the general secretary as he is monitoring the party affairs in West Bengal till assembly elections in the state which are scheduled to be held in 2021.

Arya and senior tribal leader Dhurve who represent Dindori district, had been rewarded for their loyalty to the party while Mandsaur Lok Sabha member Sudhir Gupta had been appointed joint treasure due to his proximity with the Sanghparivar. (IPA Service)