- BJP has declared its candidates for three seats in district
- Congress has not yet announced its candidate from any seat in district
Jaiprakash Upadhyay, Sehore
Before the implementation of the code of conduct in the district, BJP has announced its candidates for three assembly seats of Sehore district, but the party is still stuck on the fourth assembly seat of the district, Ashta (reserved) seat. This is because the District Panchayat President, who came to BJP from Congress and lost elections twice on Congress ticket, has staked his claim against BJP this time. Whereas, the current MLA Raghunath Malviya and the old BJP members have strongly staked their claim and they do not want the new entrant to BJP to get the ticket.
Meanwhile, Congress has not yet announced its candidate from any seat in the district. The contenders contesting elections on Congress tickets from all four assembly seats of the district are still dreaming. Let’s see whose dreams come true.
Political pundits were making different speculations about the famous assembly seat of the district, Budhni, but their speculations remained futile at that time because finally the Chief Minister of the state Shivraj Singh Chauhan has got the ticket for this high profile seat. It remains to be seen who the Congress will choose as its candidate from this seat. If a strong candidate is fielded then the elections here will become interesting. However, even before the ticket was announced, Chief Minister’s son Kartikeya Chauhan was active in Budhni area and is active even today. If Congress fields a strong candidate from here, then Shivraj Singh Chauhan himself may have to become active here. Although this seat has come to be considered a stronghold of BJP, yet Congress workers remain active here.
As far as Sehore, Ichhawar Assembly seat is concerned, there is no dearth of contenders contesting the election on BJP ticket from here, not one is new but many had presented their claim before the party but they did not get success and their dreams are like the beautiful dreams of Mungeri Lal. They are proving themselves well. The party has expressed confidence in the current MLA from here, Sudesh Rai. At present, a situation of triangular conflict has been created here because Kamlesh Dohre from BSP has already agreed to contest the elections. He was fielded as a candidate from BSP before also, but the voters had rejected him. But those who were dissatisfied with not getting tickets have not opened their cards yet.
…Then the election will be interesting
Similarly, the situation is in Ichhawar assembly seat, here despite opposition, BJP has expressed its confidence in the current MLA Karan Singh Verma and has been given the ticket again. While others were also strongly demanding tickets from BJP, it is too early to tell whether their role has been played. Congress has not yet declared the name of its candidate. The situation will become clear only after the name is announced. BSP is fielding its candidate from here also. In the coming time, dissidents may also clarify their stand. Ichhawar assembly seat is a Khati community dominated seat and Karan Singh Verma himself is from Khati community and he has won the election from this seat not once but seven times. Because in the 2018 assembly elections, Congress had given a ticket to Shailendra Patel, who belonged to the Khati community, who lost the election to BJP candidate Karan Singh Verma by a margin of 15,869 votes. He could have won the election but his election management was based only on family background. Congress has won from here only twice in the assembly elections of 1980 and 2013, whereas Karan Singh Verma has made BJP win seven times i.e. in 1985, 1990, 1993, 1998, 2003, 2018. He has also been the Revenue Minister in Shivraj Singh Chauhan cabinet. This time again BJP has placed its bet on Karan Singh Verma. If Congress also gives tickets to any leader belonging to the Khati community on this seat, then the election will become interesting.
