- Political war to save reputation and existence begins
- Competition between MP Rakesh Singh and former Finance Minister Bhanot from Congress
Avinash Dixit, Jabalpur,
With the entry of Rakesh Singh, MP for 20 years, into the election fray, Jabalpur West Assembly seat has become one of the high profile seats of the state. MP Singh is going to face political competition from Congress candidate former Finance Minister Tarun Bhanot. It is being speculated that the political war between the two will be to save reputation and for existence.
Apart from being an MP, Rakesh Singh is the Chief Whip in the Lok Sabha who has direct contacts with state and central leaders. Recently, Union Minister Piyush Goyal also came to Jabalpur on the invitation of MP Singh. It is being speculated that along with other high profile leaders, Union Home Minister Amit Shah may also come here to hold a road show. On the other hand, Tarun Bhanot, MLA from West Assembly for ten years, was the Finance Minister in the Kamal Nath government for 18 months and in the last decade, he has deepened his roots with his efficient management in this seat which is considered a stronghold of BJP. Tarun Bhanot is also considered a high profile leader and he also has contacts with the top Congress leadership and other senior Congress leaders. Apart from this, Bhanot’s uncle Chandrakumar Bhanot has been MLA from this seat twice and he also has good contacts with top Congress leaders. There is talk that Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi may come to Jabalpur for her election campaign.
Congress could never win this seat for the third consecutive time
If we look at the electoral history of the West Assembly seat, we find that Congress could not win the Jabalpur West seat for the third consecutive time. Chandrakumar Bhanot, uncle of Congress candidate Tarun Bhanot, won consecutive elections in 1980 and 1985, but seeing the possibility of defeat for the third time, Congress fielded Ram Murthy Mishra but he too lost from BJP’s Jayshree Banerjee. In 1993, Congress again expressed confidence in Chandrakumar Bhanot but he again lost to Jayshree Banerjee. Since then BJP kept winning continuously. By winning this seat in 2013 and 2018, Tarun Bhanot of Congress transformed this seat, which had become a BJP stronghold, into a Congress fort. This time too he is contesting elections for the third time with a pledge to make a record.
Report card being prepared
Both MP Singh and MLA Tarun Bhanot have already been focusing on social media and PR management. According to sources, both Singh and Bhanot have hired a reputed PR and social media management agencies of Bangalore. Through which they are getting their own survey and report card prepared. Apart from this, some professional youth have been called from outside for social media management. Full of confidence, Tarun Bhanot and MP Rakesh Singh have started public contact. While the crowd is visible in the public relations of the MP, the distance from the local leaders of the West Assembly is also visible. However, during his 20 years as an MP, he has prepared a large platoon of workers and especially youth workers. Along with this, he is also getting full support from the state and central leadership, which is being said to be a big strength for him. During public relations, Rakesh Singh is claiming to change the picture of the area. Famous lawmaker and Rajya Sabha MP Vivek Tankha, Mayor Jagat Bahadur Singh Annu and other prominent leaders of the area are united with Congress’s Tarun Bhanot. This is where Congress’s biggest strength is visible at the moment.
