- Rawat wins last assembly election by more than 18 thousand votes
- Malhotra gets more than 44 thousand votes in last assembly election
- Ruling party put in all its strength in Vijaypur by-election
- Assembly Speaker Tomar also engaged in election campaign
Kanhaiya Lodhi, Bhopal
Assembly by-elections are considered more beneficial for any ruling party. Public opinion naturally leans towards the ruling party, which benefits the ruling party’s candidate.
So will this attitude and perception remain intact in the assembly by-election to be held in Vijaypur? This is the million dollar question. Here, not only the reputation of Forest Minister Ramniwas Rawat is at stake. Rather, the reputation of the ruling party’s top leaders as well as Assembly Speaker Narendra Singh Tomar is at stake. The scenario here was different in the last assembly election. Rawat was the Congress candidate and was being challenged by BJP candidate Babulal Mewara, but Mewara had to face defeat by more than 18 thousand votes. When BJP won a big victory in the state by shattering all predictions, Rawat, as a Congress candidate, still saved the fort of Vijaypur.
BJP is not taking Malhotra lightly
BJP is not taking the risk of taking the Congress candidate lightly in Vijaypur by-election in any way. Malhotra’s ground penetration is forcing BJP leaders to roam and camp in every village and street. In the last assembly elections, Malhotra contested as an independent candidate and here he stood third after BJP and Congress candidates by securing 44043 votes. In this election, he got 21.31 percent votes, while BJP’s Mewara got 51587 votes, which was 24.91 percent of the total votes.
The result of the by-election will also decide Tomar’s stature
The initiative to bring Rawat into the BJP during the Lok Sabha elections was taken by the Assembly Speaker Narendra Singh Tomar, so Tomar’s prestige is also at stake here. Whether his stature will increase or decrease in Gwalior, Chambal, will be decided by the result. Tomar knows this, that is why, despite being the Assembly Speaker, he is continuously holding public meetings and street corner meetings in support of Rawat. Generally, the Assembly Speaker does not campaign in by-elections. He remains neutral due to the responsibility of a constitutional post, but this time it is not happening.
