Bhopal Diary

Tribal outfit bats for 3rd front in ’23 polls
In a development, which may hit Congress’s assembly poll plans, tribal outfit Jai Adivasi Yuva Shakti (JAYS) is planning to work for the formation of a third front in MP, instead of siding with the Congress like the 2018 assembly polls. JAYS sources have indicated that they are batting for a third front with other like-minded smaller parties, which will focus on 120 seats (including the 82 SC and ST reserved seats) out of the total 230 seats in MP. Importantly, there are reports about a third front of smaller parties, including Azad Samaj Party, taking shape for the MP polls. 

Cong now caught in ‘bhavi pratyashi’ row
Just a couple of months after some posters projecting state party president Kamal Nath as bhavi mukyamantri (future MP CM) caused controversy within the Congress, the grand old party’s state unit has now had to issue a circular. It cautioned disciplinary action against those workers and leaders who have been projecting themselves as bhavi pratyashi (future candidates) in the year-end assembly polls. The state party leadership has issued a circular to all its district units to inform about all such leaders and even workers who have been projecting themselves as future candidates in public places and social media and that strict actions will be taken against them.

BJP district heads to quit to contest polls
District unit chiefs of ruling BJP won’t be eligible to get party tickets to contest the year-end assembly polls, unless they quit from their organisational posts. A decision to this respect was taken at a booth- level-workers-expansion meeting of the party on the outskirts of Bhopal recently. Importantly, the prime Opposition party — Congress, too, had made a decision on similar lines a couple of months back, making it clear that party organization office bearers will have to quit from their posts if they are aspiring to contest the assembly polls.

Anuraag Singh
Our correspondent in Madhya Pradesh
singhanuraag.jaurno@gmail.com