A nail-biting contest is on the cards in Madhya Pradesh’s Ratlam parliamentary constituency, where the candidates contesting the Ratlam Jhabua lok Sabha constituency have the same surname. While the Congress has fielded former Union Minister and sitting MP Kantilal Bhuria (64) from this seat, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is relying on senior tribal leader, Dilip Singh Bhuria (68).
Congress candidate Kantilal Bhuria is former Union minister and former Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee president and he has locked in a direct contest with BJP nominee Dileep Singh Bhuria.
Considered an impenetrable fortress of the Congress, the Ratlam constituency is witnessing a battle of ballots between the two old foes for the fourth time. In the previous three elections, Kantilal Bhuria had humbled Dileep Singh Bhuria.
The political scenario in Ratlam is quite different from other places. So far, the Congress has suffered electoral defeat only twice in Ratlam while winning on 13 occasions. On the other hand, the BJP has failed to register even a single victory.
In 1971, Samajwadi Socialist Party candidate Bhagirath Bhanwar was elected from the constituency. The second time it happened in 1977 when Bhanwar was again elected on the Janata Party ticket.
In 1980, Dileep Singh Bhuria was elected from Ratlam on Congress ticket. He won five next general elections from Ratlam. In 1998, he again contested from Ratlam but on BJP ticket. The Congress fielded Kantilal Bhuria against him.
Dileep Singh Bhuria was rejected by the electorate downright. Kantilal Bhuria has been getting elected from the constituency continuously since 1998. He again defeated Dileep Singh Bhuria in 1999.