The upcoming bypolls in Madhya Pradesh would witness former Deputy Chief Minister of Rajasthan Sachin Pilot against Jyotiraditya Scindia at least in 16 Assembly constituencies falling in Gwalior-Chambal region.
Bypolls are scheduled in 28 constituencies of Madhya Pradesh. There are 16 constituencies of Scindia influence. There are 14 Ministers in Shivraj Singh Chouhan Cabinet, who are not MLAs. They include 11 Scindia supporters. While the BJP and Scindia have already launched election campaign, the Congress has adopted a multipronged strategy to settle the Pilot question hounding it since the July-August 2020 rebellion.
Party sources said on the initiative of PCC Chief and former Chief Minister Kamal Nath, Pilot has agreed to campaign against his old friend Scindia. After Pilot had defected from the Congress, it would be a new assignment for him to prove his loyalty to the party.
In March this year, Scindia had walked away from the Congress making 22 MLAs resign from their seats, which brought down the Kamal Nath regime barely 15 months after it had come to power in the State. Three more Congress MLAs defected and the death of three sitting MLAs are necessitating the by-polls, which are likely to be held in later half of October.
MPCC Spokesperson Bhupendra Gupta said Pilot’s strength in these regions is the presence of Gujjar voters and the former Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister’s ability to deliver punchlines. He certainly has influence in the bordering constituencies, he added.
Incidentally, in November 2015, the Congress had won Ratlam Lok Sabha in MalwaNimar where Pilot had campaigned extensively. After his victory, Congress MP Kantilai Bhuria had made a point to send a thank you note to Pilot.
Out of the 28 assembly seats going to polls, 16 fall in Gwalior-Chambal region, which is considered as Scindia’s fiefdom. There are seven more seats in Malwa-Nimar region where Scindia fancies himself as a vote influencer. There are reports the ruling BJP is lagging behind in many of these seats due to one-upmanship among Scindia, MP BJP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Union minister Narendra Singh Tomar. In Congress’ assessment, Scindia’s popularity is also on the wane and its focus on painting Scindia and his supporters as betrayers is finding some traction.
Pilot versus Scindia line-up in Madhya Pradesh is likely interesting. In July this year, when Pilot had rebelled against Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, the former Maharaja of Gwalior, firmly in the BJP, was reportedly encouraging Pilot to ‘do a Scindia’ in Madhya Pradesh, i.e. to make a substantial number of Congress MLAs resign and bring down the Gehlot regime.