- Successful in getting tickets for staunch supporters on seats in rural areas
- Former minister Imarti Devi Suman was made candidate from Dabra and Mohan Singh Rathore from Bhitarwar
Harish Dubey, Gwalior
Jyotiraditya Scindia, the top political leader of Gwalior district, has led the distribution of BJP tickets in Dabra and Bhitarwar, both in the rural areas of Gwalior district. On both these seats, Scindia has been successful in getting tickets to his staunch supporters who left Congress and joined BJP along with him, sacrificing their important posts. Although there was a queue of senior BJP leaders for tickets on both these seats, from Scindia quota, former minister Imarti Devi Suman was made the candidate in Dabra and Mohan Singh Rathod in Bhitarwar.
The special thing is that at present Dabra and Bhitarwar seats are not only in the possession of Congress but have remained impenetrable political forts of Congress for the last two decades. It will be a big challenge for Scindia to make his supporters win here. However, the way Scindia has managed to get tickets for his five supporters in the second list of BJP, it has once again proved that despite all the contradictions, Scindia is maintaining his importance in the party. When in the first list of BJP, the ticket of former MLA Ranveer Singh Jatav, a supporter of Scindia, was cut from Gohad seat of Bhind district and the ticket was given to the original BJP’s Lal Singh Arya, who had been a minister in the state several times, then Congress had taunted that Scindia has left the new BJP leaders who left the legislature with him in the lurch, but as soon as the candidates were finalized in Dabra and Bhitarwar, the tone of the Congress became subdued, although the Congress leaders remained aggressive towards Scindia during the Janakrosh Yatra that reached Gwalior today. Some leaders even said that it would be a big thing if Scindia made one of his supporters win the election.
Dabra and Bhitarwar have been impenetrable forts of Congress
In the by-election held three years ago in Dabra, Suresh Raje, who had joined Congress from BJP, had defeated Imarti Devi, who had joined BJP from Congress. In this election, Raje got 75,689 votes and Imarti Devi got 68,056 votes. Imarti Devi lost the election by 7,633 votes. BJP has again expressed confidence in the same Imarti Devi and given her the ticket. Congress has been in control of Dabra assembly seat for two decades. Imarti Devi had won as a Congress candidate in 2018, 2013 and 2008. Before this, Home Minister Narottam Mishra had won elections from here several times as a BJP candidate.
Mohan and Lakhan have old political enmity
When Mohan Singh Rathore, who was made the BJP candidate from Bhitarwar, left the Congress, he was holding the district president ship of Gwalior Rural Congress. He has an old enmity with the current MLA of Bhitarwar, Lakhan Singh Yadav and now it is certain that he will face him in the election field. Here too, Congress has been in control for two decades.
