The rebel candidates denied tickets in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan may impact results of many constituencies in two States as the BJP has expelled 64 of them in MP and working overtime to seek withdrawal of as many of them from the electoral fray.
After inducting several fresh faces in Madhya Pradesh to fight anti-incumbency in the Assembly polls, the BJP is facing problem of dissidents and has so far expelled 64 of its rebel, including former Ministers Sartaj Singh, Ram Krishan Kusmaria and former Gwalior mayor Sameeksha Pandey. A total of 2,932 candidates filed nominations out of which 578 were rejected and 538 withdrew their papers for the November 28 poll in the State.
Kusmaria has been an MP thrice and has also served as a Minister in the Shivraj Singh Government between 2008 and 2013. The BJP had sent its central leader Prabhat Jha to salvage the situation but he could not succeed in his efforts.
For the Congress, Xavier Meena, a former Minister from Jhabu is a key dissident in Madhya Pradesh. Congress has been able to restrict the rebel numbers by succeeding to have a chunk of them withdraw their nominations.
In Rajasthan, ahead of the December 7 Assembly elections, the BJP’s Nagaur MLA Habibur Rahman rejoined the Congress after a decade. BJP’s Dausa MP Harish Chandra Meena , former DG police, also Joined the Congress. Meena had joined the BJP in 2014. Meena joined the Congress in the presence of former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot, whose father Rajesh Pilot held the Dausa constituency.
Meena’s elder brother Namo Narayan Meena is a senior Congress leader who was defeated by Harish Meena from Dausa.
BJP is locked in a tough electoral battle with the Congress in both the states and deployed all its key leaders led by Prime Minister Narenddra Modi and party president Amit Shah to override the incumbency factor. It is estimated that at least 30 to 40 seats in MP could be a touch and go affair on account of ‘rebel’ candidates presence.