GG News Bureau
Gwalior, 16th Sept: What began as a routine review of development works in the Gwalior Collectorate on Monday turned into a high-voltage political spectacle as Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia made a dramatic re-entry after an 18-month silence, shaking up the city’s simmering BJP turf war.
Though officially chaired by Minister-in-Charge Tulsi Silavat, the meeting belonged to Scindia. Flanked by Energy Minister Pradhuman Singh Tomar, Minister Narayan Singh Kushwaha, Congress Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Singh, Mayor Shobha Sikarwar, and Congress MLA Suresh Raje, Scindia commanded the stage. Yet the empty seat of local BJP MP Bharat Singh Kushwaha, a key loyalist of Speaker Narendra Singh Tomar, signalled a deeper rift.
Political Undercurrents
Sources say BJP’s central leadership has nudged Scindia to reclaim influence in the Gwalior-Chambal belt—once his impregnable Congress fortress. His earlier retreat followed Bharat Singh Kushwaha’s public objection to his presence, but Monday’s assertive return underscored a shifting power balance.
For weeks, Scindia’s ally Pradhuman Singh Tomar has lambasted Gwalior’s crumbling infrastructure, famously calling the city “hell.” Despite Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s attempts to cool tempers, Tomar and Silavat backed Scindia’s push, sharpening the divide with the Tomar camp.
Signs of a Saffron Split
The BJP’s local infighting is now out in the open. Just three days earlier, Bharat Singh Kushwaha had conducted a similar development review. Scindia’s Collectorate show—minus the MP—was his first as a BJP leader and a clear display of dominance reminiscent of his Congress-era clout.
The feud has spilled onto social media, with Tomar loyalist Sonu Mangal and Scindia supporter Dinesh Sharma trading public barbs, mirroring the growing factionalism.
The Message
Scindia’s four-day tour of the region, pointed remarks about BJP’s “half seats” in the last Assembly polls, and his Collectorate meeting have left little doubt: the Gwalior BJP is split into two camps. With Narendra Singh Tomar guarding the old guard and Scindia reviving his “Maharaj” aura, the battle for the saffron stronghold has only just begun.
