- Due to lack of enthusiasm of voters, Congress is in contest on at least four seats
Milind Muzumdar, Indore
This time, Congress can perform better in the state than 2014. In 2014, Congress was successful in winning Chhindwara and Guna seats. Then Kamal Nath had won from Chhindwara and Jyotiraditya Scindia had won from Guna. In 2019, Congress could win only the Chhindwara seat. BJP’s KP Yadav had defeated Jyotiraditya Scindia in Guna. This defeat in the Lok Sabha elections ultimately became the reason for Scindia’s defection and the fall of the Congress government. According to the feedback received this time, apart from Chhindwara, Congress is in a position to win in Mandla and Jhabua. BJP strategists themselves are worried about these three seats.
Apart from these three seats, BJP is also worried about how Digvijay Singh is competing in Rajgarh. Among the seats in the second phase, Satna seat is also caught in a triangular conflict. This is the reason why Union Home Minister Amit Shah had to warn the leaders of Madhya Pradesh to be cautious. However, according to sources, there is favorable feedback to the BJP leadership on all the 6 seats of the second phase.
In the second phase, there are some ifs and buts only regarding Satna seat. Otherwise BJP is rest assured about Tikamgarh, Damoh, Khajuraho, Rewa and Hoshangabad. After several elections in Satna, Congress has given an OBC candidate in the form of Siddharth Kushwaha. BJP candidate Ganesh Singh is also OBC. Here independent candidate Narayan Tripathi has made the contest triangular. There is a possibility of infighting among the upper caste voters of BJP due to the candidature of Narayan Tripathi. Still, BJP is hopeful that Ganesh Singh will take away the Satna seat. Voting was also to be held in Betul in the second phase, but due to the death of a candidate, now voting will be held here on May 7. In the third phase, voting will be held in 9 Lok Sabha seats of the state, Morena, Bhind, Gwalior, Guna, Betul, Sagar, Vidisha, Bhopal and Rajgarh.
Favorable feedback to BJP on 24 seats
In the third phase, BJP is worried only about Morena and Rajgarh. The contest in Rajgarh has become interesting because of Digvijay Singh. BJP is entangled in Morena due to the caste equation. Otherwise, BJP is not at all worried about Bhind, Guna, Gwalior, Sagar, Vidisha and Bhopal. In the fourth and final phase, voting will be held on May 13 in 8 Lok Sabha parliamentary constituencies Dewas, Ujjain, Mandsaur, Ratlam, Dhar, Indore, Khargone and Khandwa. In this phase, only Ratlam Jhabua seat is considered difficult for BJP. The party is strong in seven other seats in Malwa and Nimar region. According to sources, overall, according to the feedback Amit Shah has received, BJP is facing challenges in Chhindwara, Mandla, Satna, Morena, Rajgarh and Ratlam Jhabua in Madhya Pradesh. Apart from these five seats, BJP is going to perform well on all the other 24 seats in the state.
