Chauhan took the decision to contest from Vidisha at the last moment. He filed papers from Vidisha on the last day of nominations. Some say that reports that the Congress may, an hour or so before the close of nominations, field a heavy-weight against him in Budhni, prompted him to contest from Vidisha as well. Apparently, he did not want to take the risk of losing and thought that Vidisha, a part of the Lok Sabha constituency of the same name, from where he had won as many as five times, would be a safe bet. However, his calculations have gone awry.

The Vidisha constituency was being represented in the Vidhan Sabha by Raghavji of the BJP for the last more than two decades. Raghavji, 79, was the finance minister in state BJP government since 2003. However, in July this year, he was sacked from the Ministry and expelled from the party after a CD surfaced, showing him sodomising his servant. The servant later lodged a report with the police saying that the Minister was sexually exploiting him for the last several years. Raghavji was arrested from a flat in Bhopal, where was hiding, and sent to jail. He had to spent 36 days behind bars before he was set free on bail by a court in August.

Raghavji enjoys considerable clout and influence in the Vidisha constituency. There is a strong element of sympathy for him in Vidisha. He is seen as the victim of a conspiracy. Many people are not ready to believe that Raghavji could have been involved in such a sordid activity. Moreover, they argue, he was unnecessarily humiliated, dropped from the ministry, thrown out from the party and jailed. And in all this, the chief minister is being perceived as the villain of the piece. Raghavji himself is staying put in his house in Vidisha. He is neither campaigning for Chauhan nor against him. 'When I am not in the party, where is the question of me canvassing for the party candidate', he told an interviewer. Victory in Vidisha is crucial not only for Chauhan but also for leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj, who represents Vidisha LS constituency.

Meanwhile, in Shivpuri, about 400 km away from Vidisha, Yashodhararaje Scindia has no doubts about her victory. Yashodhararaje, the 'Bua' (Paternal aunt) of Union Minister and chief of state Congress campaign committee Jyotiraditya Scindia, is contesting the polls on a BJP ticket. She is presently a member of the Lok Sbha from the Gwalior constituency.

The Gwalior-Chambal region, of which Shivpuri is a part, has never disappointed a Scindia, irrespective of his or her political affiliations. No matter from which party they contest, no matter whether they campaign or not, no matter who their opponent is, the victory of the Scindias is a foregone conclusion. Even Atal Bihari Vajpayee lost to Madhavrao Scindia in Gwalior

Though it now well over 60 years since they stopped lording over their Kingdom, but the Scindias are still held in awe and reverence there.

Yashodhararaje was a minister in the state BJP government for two years (2005-07) but was in the news for all the wrong reasons—including the government issuing a circular directing that the royal honorific “Srimant” be prefixed to her name in official communication instead of the common place “Manniya” (honourable). A gender-neutral title, “Srimant” underlines the holder’s royal lineage.

No wonder, when, the Gwalior Lok Sabha seat fell vacant in 2007 due to the Congress MP Ramsevak Singh being expelled from the House in the cash-for-query scam, the BJP chose Yashodhararaje as its nominee., thus giving her a bigger, national canvas for her political ambitions. She won and repeated her performance in the 2009 General elections.

But now, she is back in state politics. The BJP, apparently, chose to field her to counter the influence of Jyotiraditya Scindia in the region, which accounts for as many as 34 of the 230 seats in the State Assembly. The Congress, presently, holds only 13 of these seats, giving Jyotiraditya ample opportunity to increase the party's tally. (IPA Service)