Union Ministers Announced as BJP Candidates for Madhya Pradesh Polls
Three prominent Union Ministers – Narendra Singh Tomar, Prahlad Singh Patel, and Faggan Singh Kulaste – have been named in the BJP’s second list of candidates for the upcoming Madhya Pradesh elections. This announcement followed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address to a massive gathering of BJP workers in Bhopal.
Key Candidates and Constituencies
- Narendra Singh Tomar, who serves as the Agriculture Minister, will be contesting from Dimani.
- Prahlad Singh Patel, the Minister of State for Food Processing Industries and Jal Shakti, is set to run from Narsingpur.
- Faggan Singh Kulaste, the Minister of State for Rural Development and Steel, will represent the Niwas seat.
Notably, this marks a return to Vidhan Sabha elections for Mr. Tomar after a gap of two decades, having previously won the assembly polls from Gwalior in 2003.
Awaiting the Chief Ministerial Candidate
While these candidate announcements have garnered attention, the BJP has yet to reveal its choice for the position of Chief Minister in Madhya Pradesh.
Kailash Vijayvargiya’s Comeback
Another noteworthy inclusion in the list is Kailash Vijayvargiya, the BJP’s national general secretary, who is making a comeback a decade after his last victory in the Mhow seat of native Indore district in 2013. He will be running from the Indore-1 seat, effectively ending any chances of his son Akash receiving a ticket. This decision comes after Akash’s involvement in a 2019 incident where he attacked a civic body official in Indore with a cricket bat.
Lok Sabha Members in the Fray
The list also features four Lok Sabha members who will be making a bid for state assembly seats. Notable among them are:
- Ganesh Singh, a four-time MP from the Satna seat, running for re-election in his current constituency.
- Riti Pathak, a second-time sitting MP from the Sidhi Lok Sabha seat, contesting for the Sishi assembly seat.
- Rakesh Singh, a four-time MP from Jabalpur, entered the fray from Jabalpur-West.
- Uday Pratap Singh, a third-time MP from Hoshangabad, seeking election from the Gadarwara seat in Narsinghpur district.
Changing Political Dynamics
The BJP’s candidate selection reflects shifting political dynamics, with some sitting MLAs being denied tickets due to controversial incidents or videos.
Imarti Devi’s Presence
Notably, Imarti Devi, a loyalist of Jyotiraditya Scindia, whose political move in 2020 led to the toppling of the Congress government in the state, has also secured a place on the candidate list.
Statewide Elections Ahead
Madhya Pradesh is one of five states, along with Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Telangana, and Mizoram, set to hold elections later this year. Currently, only one of these states has a BJP government.
In the previous assembly election in 2018, the Congress emerged victorious and formed the government with senior leader Kamal Nath as Chief Minister. However, the BJP took control in 2020 after Jyotiraditya Scindia, along with 22 MLAs, switched sides from the Congress.
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