BHOPAL: In Madhya Pradesh’s Vidisha Lok Sabha constituency, nobody bothers to debate who will win this time. All discussions are about the victory margin of the BJP candidate, former CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
Vidisha has been a saffron citadel right from its formation, electing Pandit Shiv Sharma of the erstwhile Jan Sangh in its first election in 1967. Since then, the constituency has always chosen right-wing candidates, except in 1980 and 1984 when Congress’ Pratap Bhanu Sharma triumphed. The Congress warhorse is now back in the race to challenge Chouhan, who has won five times from Vidisha. The contest is keenly watched because Sharma, now 77 years, is the only Congress leader to have won the seat in the past 57 years.
“Ask anyone from any of the eight assembly segments of the Vidisha constituency, the one liner reply will be Chouhan’s win is a foregone conclusion. The only thing to be seen is how big will Chouhan’s margin be,” says Vidisha-based political analyst Ajay Jain.
For BJP workers, the primary goal is to increase voter turnout and give Chouhan a resounding win. “We’re trying to get 80-90% turnout in the constituency, which houses 19.38 lakh voters. Out target margin is 8-9 lakh votes, which will be a record in the country,” says Atul Verma, a BJP worker.
BJP supporters in Vidisha believe a record margin will give new wings to Chouhan to begin his stint in national politics. Adding to their hope is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s promise at a recent poll rally about ‘the big role’ awaiting Chouhan in Delhi.
As for the Congress, party insiders concede that Chouhan has a clear edge. So, the strategy is to reduce his margin.
Chouhan’s margin was 2.6 lakh votes in 2004, the last time he contested from Vidisha. Eyeing a massive win this time, Chouhan has been campaigning aggressively.
Sharma is also travelling extensively, braving his advanced age and rising mercury.
Sitting MP Ramakant Bhargava had won by 5 lakh votes in 2019. Ex-PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s margin was 1.04 lakh votes in 1991, while former Union minister Sushma Swaraj won Vidisha by 3.89 lakh votes in 2009. The New Indian Express founder Ramnath Goenka had won the seat as a Bharatiya Jana Sangh candidate in 1971 by 32,000 votes.