BHOPAL: While the ruling BJP is pinning hopes on the charisma of former Congressman Jyotiraditya Scindia to win the upcoming 25 assembly by-polls in Madhya Pradesh, the opposition Congress has decided to bank on a close relative of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan ahead of the by-elections.
Sanjay Singh Masani, the brother of CM’s wife Sadhna Singh was appointed the Congress state vice-president by former CM and MP Congress Committee chief Kamal Nath on Wednesday. In addition to the organizational post, Singh was also given the charge of state coordinator/in-charge of publicity related matters for the coming 25 assembly by-elections.
In 2013 assembly polls, when the Shivraj Singh Chouhan led party won a thumping 165 seat majority, Masani had sought a BJP ticket from Balaghat district, but failed to get it.
Around two years back, Masani, who has also played cameo roles in Bollywood movies, including Akshay Kumar starrer Padman, had joined the Congress on being denied BJP ticket for the 2018 assembly polls in the central Indian state.
He was later fielded by the Congress from the Waraseoni constituency of Balaghat district, but he lost miserably finishing fourth with 7.59 per cent votes. The seat was won by rebel Congress candidate Pradeep Jaiswal (seen close to Kamal Nath), who contested as an independent candidate and was the only independent MLA to have been given a cabinet portfolio in the council of ministers headed by Kamal Nath later.
Jaiswal, who is among the four independent MLAs (all Congress rebels) in the present Vidhan Sabha has recently been appointed by the BJP government as the Chairman of the MP State Mining Corporation.