BHOPAL: Two former chief ministers of Madhya Pradesh, who took on each other in the assembly polls 21 years ago, are now eyeing return to the Lok Sabha from neighbouring constituencies of the state.
While five-time former MP from Vidisha, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, is contesting from the same seat two decades later, Congress leader Digvijaya Singh will take on Chouhan’s loyalist and second-time BJP MP Rodmal Nagar from Rajgarh. Both the seats, which go to polls in the third phase on May 7, house the home assembly segments of the two former CMs. While Rajgarh constituency houses Raghogarh assembly seat (being won since 2013 by Singh’s son Jaivardhan Singh), Vidisha houses Budhni from where Chouhan is the sixth-time MLA.
Rajgarh seat has been won seven times by members of the ex-CM’s family, including Singh himself in 1984 and 1991 and by younger brother Laxman Singh five times between 1999 and 2004 (as BJP candidate in 2004).“Singh enjoys significant influence in Rajgarh, though he couldn’t get his loyalist Mona Sustani elected against the sitting BJP MP in 2019,” said Guna-based journalist Vikas Dixit.
“The battle this time isn’t going to be easy for Rodmal Nagar, particularly as Singh has hinted that it may be his last LS election as a candidate. In 2003, when Chouhan was fielded against then CM Digvijaya from Raghogarh assembly seat and lost, not many knew Chouhan. He is now a national leader and will certainly campaign proactively to see his loyalist Rodmal to get third time lucky.”
Agar-Malwa-based journalist Zafar Multani believes that given PM Narendra Modi wave the BJP is riding on, the septuagenarian ex-CM may find it hard to replicate the magic from Rajgarh as he did in 1984 and 1991. “Always remember that Singh lost the same seat to BJP’s Pyarelal Khandelwal in 1989. The kind of support that the BJP enjoys across the constituency, particularly after the Ram Temple consecration, the contest isn’t going to be easy for Singh,” Multani said.