Putting the cart before the horse, former Member of Parliament Ramakant Bhargava on Friday rolled out posters of an election campaign vehicle (Rath) heralding his nomination as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate for the Budhni by-election.

Bhargava's enthusiasm not only surprised voters in Budhni but also sent shockwaves through political circles in the state capital, as the BJP is yet to declare the name of the official party candidate for the seat.

Following a meeting of the state election committee, the Madhya Pradesh unit of the BJP sent a five-name panel for the constituency to New Delhi two days ago, and the party's central command is said to be still weighing its options.While insiders say that Bhargava's name topped the panel, his preemptive rollout of posters of the campaign vehicle heralding his candidature from Budhni has sparked controversy ahead of the crucial elections.

The poster image shows a campaign vehicle (referred to as a 'Rath') and features former Vidisha MP Ramakant Bhargava, suggesting that he is the BJP's candidate for the Budhni constituency.

The vehicle appears to be set up for electioneering, even though the official announcement of the candidate is awaited.The picture has led to speculation, as the saffron party's local unit had proposed Kartikeya Singh Chouhan's name for the bypolls in Budhni—known to be his father Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's bastion.

The viral photo led many to speculate that the decision on the candidate might have been made internally by the BJP's state or central leadership, with only an official announcement awaited.

Notably, Bhargava served as the Member of Parliament from the Vidisha Lok Sabha Constituency from 2019 to June 2024.

He lost the race for candidature after the BJP decided to contest Chouhan from the seat.

The Election Commission announced the by-elections schedule for two vacant seats in Madhya Pradesh—Budhni and Vijaypur constituencies—and the process of nomination commenced on Friday.

The dates for the assembly by-elections in Madhya Pradesh were announced on October 15, along with the assembly elections for Maharashtra and Jharkhand.The by-elections for Budhni and Vijaypur will take place on November 13, with the results scheduled to be declared on November 23.