In a dramatic show of organisational muscle and political intent, senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has launched an aggressive ‘homecoming’ drive in the Gwalior–Chambal region, signalling an open challenge to Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia’s long-standing dominance in the belt.
The initiative, which seeks to bring back Congress workers who defected to the BJP during the 2020 political upheaval, marks one of Singh’s most strategically calibrated campaigns in recent years.
The outreach began in Raghogarh, Singh’s political base, but its impact was felt far beyond. At a gathering this week, more than 50 BJP workers — several of whom originally belonged to the BJP — crossed over to the Congress. A particularly striking development was the return of workers from the Kolaras assembly seat in Shivpuri, a constituency widely seen as part of Scindia’s deeply entrenched political turf.
Congress MLA Kailash Kushwah declared this merely ‘the beginning’, asserting that ‘thousands of dissatisfied BJP workers’ are in touch with the Congress and preparing to join. His claims are bolstered by murmurs within the BJP itself, where long-standing cadres have been reportedly uneasy ever since the entry of Scindia and his loyalists in 2020. The mass defection of Congress leaders at the time reshaped the BJP internally, creating what many now refer to as two parallel camps — the ‘Maharaj BJP’ (those aligned with Scindia) and the ‘Old BJP’ (traditional party workers with decades of organisational association).
It is precisely this simmering resentment that Singh’s campaign aims to exploit. Known for his ability to strategise quietly and mobilise effectively, Singh’s latest move is viewed by political analysts as a classic exercise in political re-engineering — one that seeks to dismantle Scindia’s grip on the region not by direct confrontation but by tapping into local disaffection and unexpected openings within the rival camp.
The significance of Singh’s push extends well beyond immediate defections. The Gwalior–Chambal belt is not only historically tied to the Scindia legacy but also electorally strategic, influencing power balances in both State and national politics. By venturing deep into Scindia territory and achieving visible results early on, Singh has infused a new sense of purpose within Congress workers who had been demoralised after the fall of the Kamal Nath government in 2020.
While Singh and Scindia have occasionally exchanged pleasantries at non-political events, their political rivalry remains one of Madhya Pradesh’s most defining — and combustible — storylines. Singh’s ‘Ghar Wapsi’ campaign, therefore, is more than symbolic. It is a signal that he intends to rebuild the Congress from the ground up in a region where the party had seen significant erosion.
Whether the momentum will translate into electoral consolidation remains uncertain, but the campaign has unquestionably reintroduced competitive energy into a region long considered a stable BJP stronghold.