- BJP wins Mandsaur seat 12 times out of 17, it is considered a stronghold of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
Special Correspondent, Indore,
Mandsaur, famous throughout the country because of opium cultivation and Asia’s first man-made Gandhi Sagar lake, is also a politically popular area. There is also a temple of Pashupatinath in Mandsaur. It would not be wrong at all if it is called the old stronghold of Jan Sangh and BJP. In the 17 Lok Sabha elections held from 1951 to 2019, BJP (earlier Jan Sangh) candidates have won here 12 times. Congress candidates have won here only five times. Senior BJP leader and former state president late Dr. Lakshminarayan Pandey contested the Lok Sabha elections from here 11 times and created a record by winning eight times. All the stalwarts of Congress have faced defeat in front of Dr. Pandey.
There has been no change in the geographical boundaries of Mandsaur parliamentary constituency since 1951. This parliamentary constituency, encompassing all the seven assembly constituencies of Mandsaur-Neemuch district along with Javra assembly constituency of Ratlam district, has become an impenetrable stronghold of BJP with its continuous victories.
Record of Dr. Lakshminarayan Pandey – The record of being MP from Mandsaur parliamentary constituency for maximum eight times is in the name of Dr. Lakshminarayan Pandey. In 11 elections held from 1971 to 2009, Dr. Pandey was continuously a candidate from Bharatiya Jan Sangh, Lok Dal and then BJP. Of these, he lost elections only in 1980, 1984 and 2009 and won the remaining eight elections. From 1989 to 2004, Dr. Pandey won six consecutive elections. During this, he also defeated Congress veterans Balkavi Bairagi, Mahendra Singh Kalukheda, Narendra Nahta, Ghanshyam Patidar and Rajendra Singh Gautam. Dr. Pandey’s winning streak was broken by the new Congress candidate Meenakshi Natarajan in the year 2009.
Only two candidates got a chance to become MP for the second time
Apart from Dr. Lakshminarayan Pandey from Mandsaur Lok Sabha constituency, only the current MP Sudhir Gupta has been able to win the Lok Sabha elections for the second time in 72 years. Although many leaders have entered the electoral battle two to three times, but could win only once at most and some did not even open their accounts. Many times outside candidates also contested elections in Mandsaur parliamentary constituency. The first MP Kailashnath Katju came from Delhi. Then Barrister Umashankar Trivedi came from Gujarat and Swatantra Singh Kothari was sent here from Kolkata. Mandsaur seat has been famous for giving big upsets and shocking results many times.
Ticket given to the same woman candidate three times in 17 elections – So far, only one woman candidate has fielded thrice from the Mandsaur Lok Sabha seat. In the elections of 2009, 2014 and 2019, Congress gave ticket to Meenakshi Natarajan all three times but she won the election once.
Baba will play the Dhol, Pandey will go to Delhi – In the 1984 Lok Sabha elections, there was a contest between Dr. Lakshminarayan Pandey and Balkavi Bairagi of Congress. Then BJP workers and leaders used to raise slogans during the campaign that Baba (child poet Bairagi) will play the dhol, Pandey will go to Delhi. However, when elections were held, the results were opposite. Baba went to Delhi and Dr. Pandey had to face defeat. After this, Balkavi Bairagi again contested the 1989 elections. BJP also fielded Dr. Pandey from here. This time also BJP and Congress workers made slogans according to their own. In this, the 1984 slogan ‘Baba Dhol Bajaega, Pandey Delhi Jayenge’ was also widely used. Luck was with Dr. Pandey won this election.
Lost from father, won from son – Dr. Lakshminarayan Pandey’s journey of victory started in the year 1971, which was stopped in the year 2009 in which Meenakshi Natarajan defeated him. In these 37 years, an entire generation kept seeing Dr. Pandey as a candidate. Bhanwarlal Nahta and his son Narendra Nahta were the father-son duo who had an electoral contest with Dr. Pandey. In the year 1980, Bhanwarlal Nahata defeated Dr. Pandey by a small margin of 2683 votes. In revenge for this, Dr. Pandey late in the year 1998. By defeating Nahta’s elder son Narendra Nahta by more than 17 thousand votes.
Came from Kolkata, did not look back after winning – In the year 1967, CA Swatantra Singh Kothari came from Kolkata (Calcutta) to contest elections on Jan Sangh ticket. There was a lot of excitement in his campaign also. For the first time, campaigning was done with a jeep. Elders who witnessed that time say that Kothari won the election due to the hard work of BJP leaders and workers. After this he went to Kolkata and never came back. He did not pay any attention to Mandsaur parliamentary constituency.
Mandsaur parliamentary constituency includes 8 assembly constituencies – Mandsaur, Malhargarh, Suwasra, Garoth, Neemuch, Manasa, Javad, Javra.
Till now these have represented
1952 Kailashnath Katju, Congress
1957- Manakbhai Agarwal, Congress
1962, Umashankar Trivedi, Bharatiya Jana Sangh
1967 Swatantra Singh Kothari, Bharatiya Jana Sangh
Dr. Lakshminarayan Pandey became MP 8 times. In 1971 from Bharatiya Jan Sangh, in 1977 from Bharatiya Lok Dal.
From BJP in 1989, 1991, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2004
1980, Bhanwarlal Nahta Congress
1984 – Balkavi Bairagi Congress
2009- Meenakshi Natarajan Congress
2014 and 2019 Sudhir Gupta BJP
