Sacked BJP leader returns to party
It’s election time and political crossovers have begun. Three leaders, joined Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP )during party national president JP Nadda’s recent visit to Bhopal. The trio included Uma Bharti-loyalist Pritam Singh Lodhi, who was sacked by the party over anti-Brahmin remarks in August 2022. A few months back, Lodhi had announced creating a third front of OBC-SC-ST and minority against the BJP and Congress, but seemed to have lost steam later. Besides Lodhi, Digvijaya Singh-loyalist and Congress leader Mona Sustani, and former BSP MLA Usha Chowdhary joined the saffron party.
Shunted IPS officer returns after 10 months
The bulk transfer of 75 IPS officers in the state recently included the new posting of Siddharth Chaudhary, who was removed as SP-Khargone in the aftermath of the 2022 Ram Navami communal violence in the west MP town. Chaudhary, who was shunted to the post of AIG at state PHQ in May 2022 (a month after the riot which claimed the life of a Muslim youth), has returned to a key field posting within 10 months, as he is appointed the police chief of Betul district of central MP. Even in December 2020, while Chaudhary was posted as SP of Mandsaur district, there was communal violence in west MP.
Anand Rai to contest against CM in Budhni
Vyapam scam whistleblower and suspended government medical officer, Dr Anand Rai, who was recently sacked by Shivraj Singh Chouhan government over charges of undue absence from work and painting government schemes in bad light on social media, is now raring to take on CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan from latter’s pocket-borough Budhni assembly seat of Sehore district in next assembly polls. “I’m ready to contest against the CM from Budhni, if the entire opposition unitedly fights against him in Budhni,” Dr Rai has said. Rai, who has presently associated with tribal outfit JAYS, is exploring possibility of contesting from any of the five seats.
Anuraag singh
Our correspondent in Madhya Pradesh
singhanuraag.jaurno@gmail.com