Amid Covid-19 crisis, Madhya Pradesh political scene is sizzling

Vibha Sharma
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, June 6

Despite the COVID-19 crisis, the political scenario in Madhya Pradesh, a state that the BJP managed to snatch from the Congress before the country entered the lockdown, appears to be sizzling. 

Following the exit of two senior BJP leaders, the day saw huge action over Twitter profile of its latest high-profile entry, Jyotiraditya Scindia. Though BJP leaders insisted it always read “public servant, cricket enthusiast” even while Scindia was in the Congress, the day was rife with speculations that Scindia was “planning to dump the BJP because of internal rife”.

“Sadly false new travels faster than the truth,” Scindia later wrote after claims that he has “dropped” BJP from his bio.

Asserting that Scindia had never added ‘BJP’ to the profile, BJP leaders called it a “mischievous handiwork” of the Congress in mind the crucial 24 seats. The Congress claims Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will “see the reality” when the by-elections are held for the crucial seats

Interestingly, the by-polls that will decide the fate of the BJP government are being closely watched by political observers not just in Madhya Pradesh but across the country.

The political scene of Madhya Pradesh became more active after two big BJP leaders joined the Congress

A week after a former Ujjain MP Premchand Gudda joined Congress, another senior leader and former Minister Balendu Shukla also returned to the Congress on Friday.

Shukla, like Scindia, comes from the Gwalior-Chambal region and his exit was seen as a big setback for the BJP.  A close aide of Madhavrao Scindia, Jyotiradiya’s father, Shukla left the Congress apparently due to differences with Jyotiraditya

The BJP believes the bye-elections to 24 Assembly seats will be a cake walk. They are also seeing the reported “refusal” of poll strategist Prashant Kishor to work with Congress as “reality check” of the ground situation

Shrugging off as “irrelevant” Kishor’s “refusal”, Congress leaders say they have an “upper hand because people have not forgiven the ex-MLAs who dumped it for the BJP.  People of Gwalior-Chambal will teach them a lesson.

Rubbishing the claim, the BJP leaders say people will vote for “good work and development” and the Congress has lost its opportunity. How it plans to sooth its own leaders who will have to be sidelined to accommodate Congress’ turncoats in the upcoming by-polls remains to be seen

The Election Commission of India is yet to announce dates of the by-elections slated to be held around September. Given the situation they may be delayed, say sources

The 230-member MP Assembly currently has 206 members out of which 107 are from the BJP. The Congress has 92 members. Four independents, one Samajwadi Party and three BSP MLAs are supporting the BJP government.

The present majority mark is 104.

The BJP needs to win at least nine seats to reach the halfway mark- 116- for a majority on its own 

Congress will have to win at least 16 seats and also convince non-BJP MLAs to support it, in all a tough task.