Lok Sabha elections: Congress faces discontent in 8 constituencies in MP

BHOPAL: They may not be as vocal as BJP’s Gyan Singh or Bodh Singh Bhagat, the incumbent MPs from Shahdol and Balaghat, who expressed discontent after being denied party ticket, but voices of discontentment could be heard in the Congress as well.
The party is facing discontent in at least eight Lok Sabha constituencies in Madhya Pradesh including Bhind, where the party is yet to declare its candidate, to avoid infighting between Scindia and Digvijaya camps. Congress has so far declared names for 22 of total 29 seats in MP.
Infighting in the party has already come to the fore in Morena after Ramniwas Rawat’s candidature, was opposed by Congress MLA from Sumawali Eaidel Singh Kansana. Rawat had lost recent assembly election from Vijaypur constituency. A brawl broke out between two factions at a meeting.
“Though Scindia has a greater say in choice of candidates from Chambal-Gwalior region, but Digvijaya camp too doesn’t want to yield all the space to the rival faction. Leaders like Kansana, K P Singh or Govind Singh come handy for the purpose,” said a Congress leader.
He said KP Singh could do little, since his assembly segment Pichhore falls under Scindia’s constituency Guna, but Kansana or Singh are trying to resist his monopoly in candidate choice from the region.
A PCC office-bearer, considered close to Scindia, said the party has not been able to declare its candidate from Bhind, because Scindia initially wanted ticket for Ashok Argal, the BJP mayor from Morena, who was ready to cross over to Congress for ticket, but Govind Singh was not ready to accept him and also did not approve of another name Devashish Jharia. He wants Rajesh Hindoliya or former BSP leader Phool Singh Baraiya, but Scindia is not agree on their candidature.
“For once, Govind Singh may agree to a Scindia candidate, but he will never agree on Argal or Jhariya, who joined Congress just six months before the assembly polls. Now, Scindia camp has suggested name of Barilal Jatav, who may be acceptable to both the factions,” he said.
Former leader of opposition Ajay Singh, is also said to be facing opposition or at least lack of support from state minister Kamleshwar Patel, notwithstanding the fact that Patel’s father Indrajeet Patel was one of the most trusted aides of Ajay Singh’s father Arjun Singh.
Kamleshwar is the only Congress leader, who could win the election from among eight assembly segments in Sidhi district in December 2018. On the other hand, Ajay Singh is crestfallen following defeat from Churhat constituency and has already announced that he won’t be contesting any election, if he loses Sidhi election too.
“Kamleshwar has started projecting himself as a strong OBC leader in Vindhya and is positioning himself that way. Ajay Singh’s candidature from Sidhi, which he considers to be his bastion, has not gone down well with him and that’s why the inertia on his part,” said a leader close to Ajay Singh.
In Satna too, Rajaram Tripathi, considered close to Ajay Singh, was facing resistance from former deputy speaker of the state assembly, Rajendra Singh. “Singh was hoping for a ticket, and even began campaigning, but the party picked a Brahmin candidate to set the caste equation right, since Thakurs were given tickets in adjacent Khajuraho and Sidhi seats. Singh is obviously unhappy,” said a PCC spokesperson.
In Khandwa, former chief minister Digvijaya Singh, who played a “peacemaker” in several assembly segments in 2018 polls, was again seen in the same role as he sat with former MLA Rajnarayan Singh Purni, who is opposing former PCC chief Arun Yadav’s candidature from the seat. Purni is Digvijaya supporter and his intervention may bring peace between the two factions, said Congress sources.
Similarly, Meenakshi Natarajan is also facing opposition from Surendra Sethi, who is backed by Mandsaur district Congress committee.
Party candidate from Mandla, Kamal Marawi, who joined the Congress only some months ago, was being opposed by former minister Ganga Bai Ureti and her daughter, who is district Congress committee president, describing him as an “outsider”.
State Congress media in-charge Shobha Oza denied there is any dissidence in the party over tickets, saying, “The incident you referred to in Morena was about two persons fighting with each other and not an expression of anger against our candidate Ramniwas Rawat. In, Khandwa or Mandsaur too, things are OK. Discontentment or factionalism is not a problem with Congress in MP as it goes into ensuing Lok Sabha polls.”