BHOPAL: Rebel candidates disturbing the poll prospects of parent party candidates in elections isn’t new. But how about the rebels upsetting the electoral calculations of the party opposed to their parent parties? In 17 out of the 230 seats, rebel candidates of the two main players – BJP and Congress – upset the poll calculations of the two national parties. While BJP lost nine seats due to the rebels contesting either as independents or on smaller parties’ (BSP and SP) tickets, the Congress lost on seven seats due to the rebels.
On at least six of the eight seats, which the Congress lost due to rebels, it was the BJP rebels who actually caused more loss to Congress candidates. Such seats, included Lahar seat of Bhind district in Gwalior-Chambal region, where the seventh time sitting Congress MLA and leader of opposition Dr Govind Singh lost by 12,000-plus votes to BJP candidate Ambrish Sharma in three-cornered contest where BJP rebel Rasal Singh contesting as BSP candidate polled 31,000-plus votes. Importantly, Rasal Singh as a BJP candidate had lost the last two elections against the LoP from the same seat.
In Rajnagar seat of Chhatarpur district, BJP rebel Ghasiram Patel contesting as BSP candidate polled 32,195 votes, resulting in the defeat of third time sitting Congress MLA Vikram Singh Natiraja against BJP’s Arvind Pateria by 5,867 votes. Importantly, Natiraja had defeated Pateria in the last elections.