BJP candidate Kulaste’s photo in Congress poster before RaGa rally, party embarrassed

BHOPAL: In a major faux-pas by the Congress party before the election campaign rally of Rahul Gandhi in Mandla constituency on Monday, a huge poster installed on the dais of the public meeting featured the photograph of BJP candidate from Mandla constituency Faggan Singh Kulaste instead of Congress candidate Omkar Singh Markam.

Rahul Gandhi launched his election campaign in Madhya Pradesh addressing two rallies on Monday – one in Dhanora village in tribal reserved Mandla constituency and the second in Shahdol Lok Sabha tribal reserved seat.

The embarrassing mess-up occurred in Dhanora in Mandla Lok Sabha constituency. All arrangements were being made for the Congress’ mega rally on Monday morning, a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s road-show and the ruling BJP’s massive show of strength in Jabalpur. The dais was ready with the huge flexi-poster depicting pictures of Congress leaders and a sizable photograph of Faggan Singh Kulaste in the middle of the poster.

After the mistake was discovered, local Congress workers started covering the photo of BJP candidate and six-time MP from the seat Faggan Singh Kulaste with a while sheet. Thereafter, they pasted the photograph of party MLA from Keolari assembly seat Rajneesh Singh.

State Congress media consultant KK Mishra came to the defence of the party. He said, “Let’s look at it as a human mistake. Soon as it came to the notice of our party workers, the photograph was covered. This should not be viewed through political lenses.”

Mandla is being viewed as a Lok Sabha constituency which could give a tough fight between Union minister of state Faggan Singh Kulaste and Congress candidate and four times MLA Omkar Singh Markam. The main reason for this being that BJP fielded some Central leaders for the November assembly election including three Union ministers. Faggan Singh Kualste was one of the three ministers and was pitted by the party high-command in Niwas constituency, one of the eight assembly segments that constitute Mandla Lok Sabha seat.

In the assembly election held just four months ago, Congress’ Chainsingh Warkade defeated the Union minister by a margin of 9,723 votes.

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