By Nirendra Dev
Bhopal/Bina (Madhya Pradesh), Nov 13 (UNI) The Congress is certainly on offensive drive in Madhya Pradesh to wrest power, but the hurdles on ground cannot be neglected in any case.
Visit to key assembly constituencies and adjoining places and interactions with citizenry and
especially the younger lots reveal the anguish of the people against the BJP. Importantly, however,
in many cases, there are seats where the Congress apparently did not have strong candidates.
Bina assembly segment is a known BJP stronghold, the Congress party has been failing every time here since 1998.
But this time around, there is an optimism. Mr Rahul Gandhi's party is expecting to 'garner' all the benefits of rebellion in the BJP camp and possible "shift" of traditional BJP support base.
"Sachai yeh hae, BJP ko harana mushkil ho jata hae (This is a fact, you may be on winning side,
but organisational skills of BJP gives it an advantage)," says a restaurant owner Deepakbhai Rathore, also a Congress supporter.
Similar skepticism seems to have come to stay even in Bhopal South West - where 'the man on the street' has given up hopes on BJP nominee and minister Uma Shankar Gupta.
On Sunday, a large number of people ventilated their anger at the sitting legislator and Mr Gupta had to cancel his door to door canvassing. However, the Congress workers seem to lack the confidence to take on the BJP.
The grand old party has fielded P C Sharma, a party veteran who had won the erstwhile Bhopal South seat way back in 1998. "Sharmaji is only formidable candidate who can fight Uma Shankar Gupta. This has rekindled our hopes of winning the seat," says Congress worker A Z Thomas.
Many local residents endorse his views and say this is one reason, the BJP prospects do not seem to be bright in Bhopal South West.
In 2013, BJP workers, say the victory margin was substantial as Mr Gupta had polled as much as 54 per cent of votes, while Congress candidate Sanjeev Saxena had managed just near about 40 per cent. "Given the difference in votes in 2013, our chances still remain bright," said one of them.
But sources in the BJP say, Mr Sharma is a known Digvijaya Singh 'loyalist' and hence "other factions" in the Congress will play saboteurs.
In the reserved seat of Bina, the BJP is banking again on Mahesh Rai, who won the seat in 2013.
Congress workers in Bhopal admit the party has problems in segments like Jatara - where a prominent leader Dinesh Ahirwar shifted allegiance to the BJP.
According to party workers, there are other problems too.
In the name of good candidates, a section of party workers say the grand old party has found only relatives of party's old and semi retired leaders.
The party’s tribal face from Jhabua-Ratlam, Kantilal Bhuria's son Vikrant Bhuria has got ticket for Jhabhua.
The move had resulted in dissension in the rank and file of the party led by a former MLA Xavier Meda.
Senior Bhuria also managed tickets for his relatives Kalawati Bhuria from Jobat and Veer Singh Bhuria from Thandla.
"Such family-led politics is seen in other seats also," says Kundan Bisht, a Congress worker.
The former Chief Minister Digvijaya’s son Jaivardhan Singh will contest from Raghogarh while his brother also got Congress ticket from Chachoura.
Former Union minister Arun Yadav’s brother Sachin Yadav too has been accommodated from Kasrawad.
"That means, we have ensured appeasement of progenies of politicians and winnability has not been
a criterion," says Bisht however adding the party leadership has done well by preferring NSUI state president Vipin Vankhede from Agar and Youth Congress state head Kunal Chaudhary from Kalapipal.
UNI DEVN RSA 1339