BHOPAL: After failing to quell rebellion among its ranks, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has expelled 53 leaders, including two former ministers, who are contesting against the official candidates in the November 28 Assembly polls.MP BJP’s chief spokesperson, Deepak Vijayvargiya, confirmed the expulsions of the 53 leaders on Thursday.
Prominent party leaders who were expelled include former ministers Ramkrishna Kusmaria ‘Babaji’ and KL Agrawal.While Kusmaria, former agriculture minister and the current head of the Bundelkhand Development Authority, is contesting as an Independent from two seats — Damoh and Pathariya in Damoh district —Agrawal is contesting independently from the Bamori seat of Guna district.
Kusmaria is said to hold significant pull, not only in the two seats he is contesting from, but also a large part of the Bundelkhand region and parts of the Vindhya region, where Kurmis (an Other Backward Classes caste) have a significant presence. Kusmaria will go up against finance minister and six-time sitting legislator Jayant Malaiya for the Damoh seat.
The other prominent rebels, who have been expelled from the BJP, include ex-Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYYM) state president Dheeraj Pateriya who is contesting against sitting MLA and MP minister of state for medical education Sharad Jain from the Jabalpur North seat, ex- MLA Vishwamitra Pathak (Sihawal), ex-MLA Rajkumar Mev (Maheshwar-SC), sitting MLA Narendra Singh Kushwah (Bhind), ex-Gwalior mayor Sameeksha Gupta (Gwalior South), ex-MLA Brahmanand Ratnakar (Berasia-Bhopal) and Rashmi Singh Patel (Nagod-Satna).
Of these, Sameeksha Gupta, who is contesting as an Independent against cabinet minister Narayan Singh Kushwah, has reportedly already quit the party.The Opposition Congress, too, seems to be cracking the whip on rebels by expelling former MLA Javier Medha, who is contesting as an Independent from the Jhabua seat against party candidate Vikrant Bhuria (the son of Ratlam MP Kantilal Bhuria). Medha, who was once said to be close to Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, is contesting as an independent to avenge his 2013 loss in the Assembly elections.