- Panna assembly considered an impenetrable stronghold of BJP
- If Congress fields a weak candidate, it will be difficult for minister to save his deposit
Suresh Pandey, Panna,
BJP has declared former MLA Rajesh Verma as its candidate for Gunaur reserved assembly, one of the three assemblies of Panna district. At the same time, the equations of Panna Assembly seem to be changing due to former Panna Assembly Minister Ms. Kusum Mahadele claiming ticket from the BJP.
The ticket of present MLA and State Mineral Minister Brijendra Pratap Singh was considered almost certain, but Kusum Mahadele’s claim may create some complications. Whereas Congress Party is looking for a strong candidate from Panna Assembly. Anyway, Panna assembly is considered to be the stronghold of BJP and on the other hand, Congress is not able to succeed in the elections due to internal factionalism. Overall, Panna Assembly is like an impenetrable fort for the Bharatiya Janata Party. All the efforts of Congress to penetrate this have often been in vain.
In the year 1980, this seat was with Congress. After this, BJP held the seat in the years 1985 and 1990. In the year 1993, Lokendra Singh, a member of the royal family, contested the elections on a Congress ticket and won. Since then, except for the contest of 2008, BJP has been continuously dominating this seat. In the year 2008, Congress candidate Shrikant Dubey won the election by defeating former minister Ms Kusum Mehdele. After this she was not given the ticket again. Due to which the path became so difficult for the Congress that in the year 2013 elections, the BSP got more votes than the Congress and stood second. Congress candidate Meena Yadav stood third in the Panna assembly.
Significantly, in the last election in Panna assembly, BJP had cut the ticket of Kusum Mehdele, a strong minister and Lodhi leader of the state. Despite this, BJP’s performance was better here and BJP candidate Brijendra Pratap Singh, for whom this seat was completely new, won by more than 20 thousand votes. In such a situation, it would not be wrong to call Panna assembly a stronghold of BJP. This is the reason that the path to victory for the Congress in Panna is very difficult. In such a situation, Congress is looking for a strong candidate to win here.
By the way, there is a long queue to get a Congress ticket from the Panna assembly. Every candidate is claiming victory. But in reality hard work and selection of better candidates is the priority for Congress victory in Panna assembly. In such a situation, the party is looking for a qualified candidate through various types of surveys. Congress needs a capable candidate against the state’s Mineral Minister Brijendra Pratap Singh.
Ms Mahdele said age limit is over, I am fit for election
Former minister Ms Kusum Mehdele told reporters who reached her birthday that the Bharatiya Janata Party has now ended the age barrier. People up to the age of 80 years have been given tickets. I had won the then assembly election by 30 thousand votes and I am completely healthy and fit from health point of view and will demand a ticket from Panna assembly. I am sure that the party will definitely give me a ticket from Panna assembly. When she was asked what would be her decision if the party did not give her the ticket, she said that in such a situation appropriate decision will be taken when the time comes. Now she doesn’t consider it appropriate to say anything.
Assembly Panna is dominated by Brahmins and backward classes
If Panna Vidhansabha is seen on the basis of caste, then the maximum number of voters are from Brahmin class and backward class voters are also in majority. In which Lodhi, Yadav voters are prominent. The number of Lodhi voters is more than the Yadav voters. If we look at the election statistics of the last 30 years, the BJP has never given a chance to a Brahmin candidate, but the Congress has given a chance to Brahmin candidates twice, in which the average percentage of votes obtained is 36 percent for Congress candidate Sudhakar Dixit, yet he lost the election. If we talk about the last 5 elections for Panna assembly, Congress made Brahmin leaders candidates only 2 times and won once.
BJP did not give any chance to Brahmin candidates
In the years 2013 and 2003, the Congress fielded candidates from the OBC category. Whose performance was the most disappointing. OBC women candidate Meena Yadav got only 16 percent and Jayprakash Patel got only 22 percent votes.
In the last election, the party fielded Shivjit Singh from the Kshatriya class, who got just 28 percent votes and lost the election by a margin of 20,000. In such a situation, it is clear that the party needs an honest and clean Brahmin face to win this seat. On the basis of which the fort of BJP can be breached.
Long queue of contenders in Panna
Even though the condition of Congress in the Panna assembly is not good. Despite this, long queues of ticket claimants are being seen in Congress. Talking about ticket contenders, there is former MLA Shrikant Dubey, he is being considered as a strong contender because of his honest and spotless image. Apart from these, the claim of former District Congress President Divyarani Singh is also strong. She is seen fighting for the party in adverse circumstances. Former candidate and District Congress President Shivjit Singh is among the ticket contenders to give a tough fight. Due to ban on Bharatamilan Pandey from contesting elections, he is demanding ticket for his son Sachin Pandey.
