Uncertainty looms over Congress tickets in Chambal

BHOPAL: Uncertainty over Congress tickets on three of the four Lok Sabha seats in Chambal region continues amid speculations that BJP leaders from the region who were denied ticket, including former Prime Minister late Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s nephew and incumbent MP from Morena, Anoop Mishra and five-time BJP MP, Ashok Argal, may join the Congress.

Though Mishra on Thursday denied speculation about his leaving the BJP, the Congress is not ruling out the possibility of his entry into party-fold. Vajpayee’s niece, Karuna Shukla, had also joined the Congress after being denied a ticket from Bhatapara Lok Sabha constituency in Chhattisgarh. However, Congress appears to be more interested in Argal joining the party rank, given his enviable record of electoral success.

Argal won from Morena seat four times when the seat was reserved and following delimitation in 2008 when Bhind got reserved in place of Morena, he won from there as well. On the other hand, Mishra, who was fielded by the BJP from Bhitarwar seat in Gwalior in the state assembly election and lost and has now been denied ticket from Morena and the ticket was given to Union minister, Narendra Tomar, instead.

Besides, the question whether All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary, Priyadarshini Raje, would contest election from Gwalior still hangs fire.

“Congress is not sure whether Anoop Mishra is an electoral asset for the party but if he joins the Congress, it would give Congress a psychological boost because he is nephew of BJP stalwart and former prime minister Vajpayee,” said a Congress leader close to Jyotiraditya Scindia, who will have a major say on the issue of entry of the two disgruntled BJP leaders in the Congress fold.

He, however, said that more than Mishra, Argal is electorally important for the party not only because of his past electoral record but also because Congress doesn’t have a proper candidate from Bhind. “Argal has not only won five Lok Sabha polls from Morena and Bhind, he still is the mayor of Morena. On the other hand, Congress doesn’t have a strong candidate from Bhind”, he said.

Another Congress leader said that unlike Anoop Mihra, who has ties with chief minister Kamal Nath, Digvjaya Singh and other top Congress leaders, Argal was in touch with Scindia alone and he, too, is keen to get him into party-fold.

Congress leaders further pointed out that with two Thakurs – Narendra Tomar (BJP) and Ramlakhan Singh Kushwah (BSP) - face to face from Morena, ticket to a Brahmin candidate- Anoop Mishra- could work for the Congress party. Kushwah has been BJP MP from Bhind thrice before the seat got reserved for SCs in 2008.

Question mark on candidature of Scindia’s wife, Priyadarshini Raje, also persists. Meanwhile, veteran Congress MLA from Pohari, K P Singh on Thursday advocated ticket to Ashok Singh from Gwalior though he has lost election twice from there. “Ashok Singh is the best candidate for me from Gwalior” said Singh, which is being interpreted as voice of the factions stacked against Scindia in the MP Congress.