It’s veteran versus an ‘outsider’ in Mandla

BHOPAL: BJP’s Faggan Singh Kulaste, who has won five times in a row from

Mandla tribal seat

is locked in a direct contest with Congress candidate Kamal Maravi, who switched to the Congress after dumping Gondwana Gantantra Party (GGP) a couple of years ago. Despite being projected as a leader with strong base among tribals in

Mandla

constuituency, he is facing opposition from prominent local party leaders led by former minister Ganga Bai Ureti, who consider him an “outsider”.

A resurgent GGP had garnered 1.96 lakh votes in the eight assembly segments that constitute Mandla Lok Sabha constituency in December 2018 assembly polls. If the tribal party repeats that performance in the

Lok Sabha polls

, it may end up deciding the outcome of Mandla seat.

In 1996, Faggan Singh Kulaste won the seat for the first time defeating two-term Congress MP Mohanlal. He won the seat again in 1998, 1999 and 2004. However, he was defeated in 2009 general election, but regained the seat in 2014.

However, in the 2018 assembly polls BJP could only manage to win only two of the eight assembly segments while the rest were captured by the Congress. Even Kulaste’s brother, Ram Pyare Kulaste, lost the election from the Niwas assembly seat.

Congress candidate Kamal Maravi had contested as GGP candidate from Bichhiya assembly seat in 2013 and lost. He is supposed to be the pick of chief minister Kamal Nath. Maravi is said to have considerable support among tribals, which may help him tide over the formidable challenge from veteran Faggan Singh Kulaste.

Initially, GGP founder Hira Singh Markam had announced his candidature from Mandla, but later he retracted. Otherwise, the contest would have been triangular and far more interesting. GGP candidate in fray now is not a heavyweight like Markam, but GGP, which performed remarkably well in several assembly segments in the 2018 election, may still prove to be a gamechanger in the constituency.

Mandla Lok Sabha seat comprises three assembly segments from Mandla, two each from Dindori and Seoni and Gotegaon seat in Narsinghpur district. Six of the eight seats were bagged by the Congress in 2018 election, leaving BJP with just two.