MP Polls: All eyes on Scindia loyalists who had jumped ship to BJP

Bhopal, June 14 (IANS) As the Assembly elections near in Madhya Pradesh, leaders switching sides to secure their political future is gaining momentum.

Against this backdrop, all eyes are on the loyalists of Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, who along with him had jumped ship from the Congress to the BJP that resulted in the collapse of the Kamal Nath-led Congress government in 2020.

On Wednesday itself, BJP leader Baijnath Singh Yadav, considered to be close to Scindia, re-joined the Congress in the presence of senior party leaders Kamal Nath and Digvijaya Singh.

There is a buzz in the state that many Scindia loyalists are finding it tough to secure their political future, especially with the ruling BJP facing huge anti-incumbency in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh.

The political future of most Scindia loyalists seems to be at stake, as the BJP leadership has made it clear that tickets to contest the upcoming elections will be distributed on the basis of surveys and keeping the winning probability of the candidates in mind.

In 2020, a total of 26 Congress MLAs (22 in March and four subsequently) had switched sides to the BJP along with Scindia, thus bringing down the Kamal Nath-led Congress government in Madhya Pradesh. However, seven of them had lost the bypolls held later, including Imarti Devi, Raghuraj Singh Kasana, Girriraj Dandotiya, Adal Singh Kasana, Ranvir Jatav, Munnalal Goyal and Jasmant Jatav.

Given that BJP's Shivraj Singh Chouhan returned as the Chief Minister in 2020 primarily because of Scindia, 12 of the latter's loyalists were made Cabinet ministers. They are - Tulsi Silawat, Govind Singh Rajput, Mahendra Singh Sisodia, Prabhuram Chaudhary, Pradumn Singh Tomar, Bisahulal Singh, Hardeep Singh Dang, Rajvardhan Singh, O.P.S. Bhadoria and Brajendra Singh Yadav, among others.

Now, with the Assembly elections barely five months away, and with the Shivraj Chouhan-led government facing huge anti-incumbency for its nearly two-decade rule, the BJP leadership is reportedly struggling to end the rift between the 'old' and 'new' party cadres in different constituencies.

After the last Assembly elections held in 2018, the Congress led by Kamal Nath had managed to return to power after 15 years. However, after 22 party MLAs led by Scindia joined the BJP, the Shivraj Chouhan-led saffron party returned to power in March 2020.

However, now Baijnath Singh Yadav returning to the Congress has given a jolt the saffron camp. Not only because he was a strong supporter of Scindia, but also because he hails from Schindia's bastion in Shivpuri.

And with top state Congress leaders welcoming Yadav back into the party, it is seen as a signal that Scindia might be losing ground in his own bastion.