Jyotiraditya Scindia's Potential Candidacy
The BJP’s fifth list of candidates for the upcoming Madhya Pradesh Assembly election is anticipated to be quite impactful, according to party sources. Home Minister Narottam Mishra expressed, “List dhamakedar hee hogi. Aage dhamake hee dhamake hone wale hain, Diwali ka tyohar aane wala hai (List will be explosive… expect fireworks… Diwali is ahead).”
The ruling party has already named Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, 24 of his ministers, and 57 sitting lawmakers in the fourth list, out of the total 230 Assembly seats. They have 94 more decisions to make, and these decisions are expected to be discussed during Sunday’s meeting of the Central Election Committee.
Sources within the party’s state unit suggest that 25 to 30 MLAs may not be given tickets due to negative feedback. The party aims to release the list during the Navratri season, starting Sunday, to minimize protests from leaders who are denied tickets and hope they will be occupied with the festivities.
There is uncertainty surrounding the political future of nine ministers, including Mahendra Singh Sisodiya, OPS Bhadoria, Brijendra Singh Yadav, and Suresh Dhakad, who are loyal to Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and left the Congress in 2020. Speculation persists about Jyotiraditya Scindia’s own candidacy.
The BJP’s strategy for this round of elections involves fielding prominent candidates with strong local connections, including Union Ministers and MPs. The party has already named four other MPs and three Union Ministers in Madhya Pradesh.
Jyotiraditya Scindia’s potential candidature became a topic of discussion after his aunt, Yashodhara Raje Scindia, opted out of the election due to health reasons. She had Covid-19 four times since the pandemic began. Jyotiraditya Scindia may contest from his aunt’s Shivpuri seat or any of the two other seats in Guna – Bamori or Kolaras, all within the Guna Lok Sabha segment that he held from 2002 to 2014.
Both the Congress and the BJP have engaged in political exchanges over their candidate lists and potential internal factionalism. Madhya Pradesh is set to vote in a single phase on November 17, with results expected on December 3.
