The Madhya Pradesh assembly election will be held next month
Bhopal:
The Congress has fielded at least five former BJP leaders, including Avdhesh Nayak, against Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra from Datia seat, former Jyotiraditya Scindia-loyalist Baijnath Yadav from Kolaras seat, Neeraj Sharma against Scindia-loyalist minister Govind Singh Rajput from Surkhi seat, Rao Yadvendra Singh Yadav from Mungaoli and former BJP MP Bodh Singh Bhagat from Katangi seat.
Congress Dynasts
Seven-time MLA from Lahar (Bhind) seat and Leader of Opposition Govind Singh, whose maternal nephew Rahul Bhadauria has been fielded from Mehgaon seat in Bhind district, and Mr Singh’s close relative ex-MLA Chanda Singh Gaur has been fielded against Uma Bharti’s nephew Rahul Singh from Khargapur seat of Tikamgarh district.
In Alirajpur district of western Madhya Pradesh, both the Congress candidates come from the same family. While the first-time MLA Mukesh Patel will be a candidate from Alirajpur seat, his sister-in-law Sena Patel has been fielded from Jobat seat. In the adjoining Jhabua district, state Youth Congress’s chief Vikrant Bhuria (who lost in the 2018 polls) has been fielded from Jhabua-ST seat, which was won by his father and ex Union Minister Kantilal Bhuria in the 2019 by-election.
Former Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh’s son and second-time MLA Jaivardhan Singh has been fielded from the family’s stronghold Raghogarh. Digvijaya Singh’s brother Lakshman Singh has been repeated from the Chachaura seat of Guna district. The Singh family’s close relative Priyavrat Singh (also a minister in the 15-month Congress government) has been repeated from Khilchipur seat of Rajgarh district.
In Dhar district, while former Deputy Chief Minister Jamuna Devi’s nephew and third-time MLA Umang Singhar has been fielded again from Gandhwani-ST seat, second-time MLA and former minister Surendra Singh Baghel has been repeated from Kukshi-ST seat, which was won by his father Pratap Singh Baghel three times between 1972 and 1980.
In Khandwa district, Rupali Nandu Bare (daughter of Congress veteran Nandu Bare, who failed to win despite contesting twice) who as rebel candidate finished third with 25,000-plus votes has been fielded from Pandhana-ST seat, while former MLA Rajnarayan Singh Purni’s son Uttam Pal Singh will contest from Mandhata seat.
In neighbouring Khargone district, former Deputy Chief Minister Subhash Yadav’s younger son, the two-time MLA and ex-minister Sachin Yadav, will contest from the family’s stronghold Kasrawad seat, while former minister and third-time MLA Vijaylaxmi Sadho has been fielded from Maheshwar-SC seat, which was won by her father Sitaram Sadho thrice in the past.
In Indore district, former Ujjain and ex-Sanwer MLA Premchand Guddu’s daughter Rina Bhaurasi will be the candidate from Sanwer-SC seat.
Also, MLA Alok Chaturvedi (brother of former Congress MP Satyavrat Chaturvedi) has been repeated from Chhatarpur seat, and ex-MLA Hemant Katare (son of former Leader of Opposition Satyadev Katare) will contest from his old seat Ater.
Families Of Non-Congress Parties
It’s not just members of the Congress’s political families who have been fielded in the polls. Some candidates are fighting the election from non-Congress political families as well.
In Guna district’s Bamori seat, the party has fielded former minister and ex-BJP MLA Kanhaiyalal Agrawal’s son Rishi Agrawal. His father had lost the 2020 by-election from the same seat.
In Pichhore seat, while six-time MLA KP Singh Kakkaju has been shifted to neighbouring Shivpuri seat, Shailendra Singh (son of former Shivpuri district BJP chief Padma Raje Bundela) will be the candidate from Pichhore seat. Even the candidate from Balaghat seat Anubha Munjare is the wife of ex-MLA Kankar Munjare.