After Assembly constituency no. 1, voice of dissension has started brewing in Assembly constituency no. 4, considered to be an invincible fortress of the BJP after Assembly constituency no. 2. Assembly constituency no. 4 currently being represented by the BJP MlA Malini Gaud, widow of late State Higher Education Minister laxman Singh Gaud.
The BJP in the last Assembly elections had awarded party ticket to Malini Gaud after unfortunate and untimely death of late laxman Singh Gaud in a road mishap few years back. Riding on sympathy wave, the last assembly elections turned out to be a cakewalk for Malini Gaud, even as she was a greenhorn in politics and had little contribution to the society besides being wife of the later minister.
Though the constituency has other senior BJP leaders who can easily qualify for the party ticket from this constituency, referred to as an Rs Ayodhya’ of the BJP in Indore, party leadership appears to be not in favour of changing its candidate from the constituency and in all likelihood would give ticket to Malini Gaud in the ensuing assembly elections once again.
However, Sindhi leaders in the constituency this time appear to go against the party’s dictate. As Sindhi community constitutes almost 25% of the vote share in Assembly constituency no. 4, community people in the constituency this time want allotment of party ticket to someone from their own community. Knowing well the influence of Sindhi community in the constituency, the BJP leadership awarded local Sindhi BJP leader and Indore city BJP president Shankar lalwani plum posting of IDA chairman sometime back.
lalwani, being close to former state BJP president Prabhat Jha was considered to be a strong contender for the party ticket from this. However, even after lalwani staying himself away as a contender for the party ticket from the constituency, other Sindhi leaders from the constituency appear to be in no mood to give away their claim for the party ticket and have decided to contest election from the constituency as a dissident candidate if the party leaders did not listen to their demand.
In a meeting of the Sindhi community at Matlani garden yesterday, the community people rallied behind former BJP mandal president Harish Dhawani and asserted that they field Dhawani as an independent dissident candidate from the BJP from the constituency if the party leaders did not listen to their demands. Besides Harish Dhawani, names of other Sindhi BJP leaders from the constituency including Anju Makhhija, Bhagchandra Puruswani and Sanni Pariyani are also doing round as alternative Sindhi community candidate from the constituency.