- Disappointment for Nakul Nath, Digvijaya predicted
Bhopal: As the seven phases of voting for the Lok Sabha elections 2024 conclude, exit polls have been released, bringing a wave of disappointment among Congress leaders in Madhya Pradesh. The exit polls indicate a strong BJP presence, with predictions suggesting BJP will win 28 out of the 29 Lok Sabha seats in the state. Similar to the Vidhan Sabha elections, Congress appears to be facing a challenging scenario in the Lok Sabha elections. However, there remains one Lok Sabha seat in Madhya Pradesh where Congress is estimated to have a chance of winning.
Cong will lose in its traditional strongholds
The remarkable aspect of this situation is that Congress is not anticipated to win in its usual strongholds like Chhindwara or Rajgarh. Instead, the exit poll shows Congress leading in the tribal-dominated Mandla seat, from where tribal MLA Omkar Singh Markam is contesting.
The exit poll also predicted the defeat of Kamal Nath’s son, Nakul Nath, and former CM Digvijaya Singh. This has heightened the anxiety among these senior Congress leaders from Madhya Pradesh. However, the prediction of Congress’s victory in the Mandla Lok Sabha seat has provided them with some relief.
BJP has held a strong grip on Mandla seat
An agency’s exit poll has predicted a victory for Congress in the Mandla seat. Historically, the BJP has held a strong grip on the Mandla Lok Sabha seat, maintaining control for 30 years. Faggan Singh Kulaste, a six-time MP from Mandla, is also a Union Minister in the BJP government. For the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP had once again fielded Faggan Singh Kulaste, while the Congress had nominated Omkar Singh Markam, an MLA from Dindori, to challenge him.
Of the eight assembly constituencies within the Mandla Lok Sabha seat, five are currently held by Congress, and three by BJP MLAs. This indicates Congress’s significant presence in Mandla, even in the 2023 assembly elections.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Congress nominated Kamal Singh Marawi for the Mandla seat. Marawi received over 6.39 lakh votes, but Faggan Singh Kulaste of the BJP secured 7.37 lakh votes, securing his victory by a margin of about 98,000 votes. Notably, Omkar Singh also contested against Kulaste in the 2014 elections, where he was similarly defeated by the BJP candidate.