Bhopal: The choice of party heavyweight Digvijaya Singh as the Congress candidate from Bhopal Lok Sabha in Madhya Pradesh seat sends out a profound message.
The ruling party would move heaven and earth to breach the saffron fort – the Bharatiya Janata Party had been winning Bhopal uninterrupted for three decades.
The candidature of Digvijaya, who held the reins of power in this Hindi-speaking state for 10 years from 1993 to 2003, promises to turn it into a high-octane poll battle for the seat - a princely state in pre-Independence days.
Clearly, the announcement has charged up Congress leaders, who feel the saffron citadel will crumble.
“There is no doubt about Digvijaya Singh’s victory. His entry changed the scene. 1984 was the last time when the Congress had won this seat. Now, the BJP is unable to decide on the name of its candidate. Even, (former chief minister) Shivraj Singh Chouhan is in a dilemma whether to contest from the seat,” said Congress spokesperson Pankaj Chaturvedi.
Bhopal is one of the four toughest seats for Congress in the state - the other three being Indore, Vidisha and Jabalpur. It has not even once disappointed BJP candidates in Lok Sabha elections in the last 30 years and assumes significance in many ways.
By fielding Digvijaya, a political heavyweight, the grand old party appears determined to change the narrative. It wants to script a victory and reverse the tide of setbacks in the LS seat.
Only a couple of days ago MP chief minister and Congress state unit chief Kamal Nath dropped hints about fielding influential leaders from seats where victory had eluded the party in successive polls.
The choice of Digvijaya, who wields influence both within the party and outside, is not lost on political observers.
They say the party is betting big on Digvijaya as he is one of few leaders in the state who has remained in touch with all those who matter. They stress he holds sway among all sections of the society, including Muslims, who form a sizeable number of voters in the Bhopal constituency. The former CM, who made no secret of his preference for Rajgarh, a seat he had contested in Lok Sabha elections twice in the past, said he was ready to fight from any seat the party wished him to.
This also marks Digvijaya's return to electoral politics after 16 years. He had contested last in 2003 assembly elections from his home turf of Raghogarh.
His victory, observers say, will help the Congress consolidate its position in nearby areas, where its popularity was on the wane in the last decade.
Political circles are abuzz with talk that the announcement of Digvijaya's candidature has forced the BJP to tweak its strategy. It will have to pit a leader of stature against him.
Among the names doing the rounds include Shivraj Singh Chouhan, former chief minister and BJP national vice-president.
If that happens, it will, in a way, be a repeat of history. Sixteen years ago, the BJP had pitted Shivraj against Digvijaya from Raghogarh in an assembly election to tie down the Congress leader to his constituency.
Shivraj lost.
As Union minister, Uma Bharti had already announced she would not like to contest this time. Last week, she was appointed as another national vice-president of the party.
Party general secretary and former minister Kailash Vijayvargiya has shown his willingness to throw his hat in the ring, but till the time, the party decides to zero in on a candidate, it remains a guessing game.
Given Digvijaya’s view on the RSS, BJP ideology, the saffron camp would go all out to ensure its vocal critic’s defeat.
Sources say the BJP is busy redrawing strategy to pit a candidate who can pip “Diggi Raja,” as he is fondly called.
K N Pradhan was the last Congress candidate to emerge victorious in the seat – in 1984.
After that, the Congress has never won from the Bhopal constituency. Former chief ministers Uma Bharti and Kailash Joshi were among those who beat their Congress rivals from this seat.
In 1991 general election, bureaucrat-turned-politician Sushil Chandra Verma had no difficulty in trouncing cricket legend 'Tiger' Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, the grandson of Nawab Hamidullah Khan, the ruler of erstwhile Bhopal princely state. Pataudi, the Congress candidate, lost the election by more than one lakh votes.
In the same election, social activist and Janta Dal candidate Swami Agnivesh suffered a humiliating defeat.
Poll observers believe the victory of Digvijaya won’t be a cakewalk. “Digvijaya Singh had disappeared in 2003 after supposedly taking political sanyas. People will do stocktaking of his government’s misgovernance and statements on Azamgarh and Batla House,” BJP spokesperson Hitesh Vajpai said referring to the venues linked to a few men behind 2008 Delhi serial blasts.
“Battles and elections are fought to win,” said Shivanurag Pateria, a senior journalist, to drive home the point the BJP would employ all resources to ensure its candidate’s win.
In the changed scenario, the prospects of sitting MP Alok Sanjar and another probable Alok Sharma have somewhat dimmed.
Diggi Raja's presence in the electoral arena has made the Bhopal contest a riveting affair.
Trouble for BJP
Elsewhere in MP, the BJP's troubles are mounting.
The party’s Singrauli district president Kanti S Devsingh tendered his resignation, along with several of his supporters, after it gave the ticket to sitting MP Reeti Pathak.
The enraged faction has been irked as Reeti has been linked to a scam in which government funds were misused.
“The party has ignored demand of workers who want a local candidate. As I do not want to face ire of party workers, I have decided to quit,” Devsingh told reporters.
In 2014, the three assembly segments of Singrauli district - Chitrangi, Deosar and Singrauli - helped the BJP to wrest the Sidhi Lok Sabha seat.
In 2013 and 2018 Assembly elections also, the BJP had won all these seats.
This is not the first instance when Reeti's candidature is being opposed. In 2014 too, BJP MLA Kedarnath Shukla had opposed Reeti's candidature. Kedarnath was one of the aspirants for the Sidhi Lok Sabha seat both in 2014 and 2019.
Dissent has been reported in Tikamgarh, Shahdol, Khandwa and Mandsaur Lok Sabha seats after BJP announced its candidates.
In Tikamgarh, a group of BJP workers criticised party’s decision to give the ticket to Union Minister of State for Woman and Child Welfare Virendra Kumar.
Same is the case in Shahdol Lok Sabha seat, where sitting MP Gyan Singh has been replaced by Himadri Singh.
Gyan had defeated the then Congress candidate Himadri Singh in a by-poll. Himadri joined BJP this month.
“I was not taken into confidence before being dropped by the party,” Gyan Singh said.
In Khandwa and Mandsaur Lok Sabha seats also BJP factions have publicly expressed dissent.
Former CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan, state BJP chief Rakesh Singh and state organisational general secretary Suhas Bhagat met at the party headquarters to discuss the issue.
“The party’s decision on the ticket distribution is up to the mark,” Chouhan told reporters.
Madhya Pradesh goes to the polls in four phases beginning April 29.