GG News Bureau
Bhopal, 3rd May. Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, who is contesting his first election from his hometown Guna after switching to the BJP, seemed comfortable while campaigning. He mentioned in an exclusive interview with NDTV that politics and elections are just the beginning of serving the people, not the end.
The Scindia family has been representing the Guna constituency since the 1950s. His grandmother Vijayaraje Scindia and father Madhavrao Scindia were both MPs from the area, regardless of the party they belonged to.
Scindia entered politics in 2002 after his father’s passing and has been elected as an MP four times from Guna. However, he lost to the BJP’s KP Singh Yadav in 2019.
This time, his main opponent is Congress’s Yadvendra Yadav, the son of BJP leader Rao Deshraj Singh Yadav, who was a three-time legislator from Mungaoli. The Congress aims to consolidate the Yadav vote, which worked in favor of the BJP candidate in 2019.
The Yadav community makes up a significant portion of Guna’s population and is expected to contribute around 250,000 votes. Historically, when the constituency elected a non-Scindia candidate, they belonged to the Yadav community.
The BJP’s choice of Chief Minister this time reflects the influence of the Yadav community. In March, after the Congress candidate was announced, Mohan Yadav led a meeting of the Yadav community where Mr. Scindia was also present.
Scindia seemed unfazed by the Congress’s candidate selection.
He stated, “In this constituency, everyone is part of my family, and I am part of everyone’s family. The Scindias have never based their election campaigns on caste or creed. We have competed against candidates from all communities. It is up to the party to choose their candidate,” he told NDTV.
When asked about Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra campaigning for the Congress candidate, Scindia, who was once close to the Gandhis before joining the BJP, said, “Any leader is welcome, and we treat them with hospitality as per the ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’ principle. We provide them hospitality and then bid them goodbye.”
Recently, senior BJP leader and former Chief Minister Uma Bharati joined Mr. Scindia on the campaign trail. This was her first campaign appearance in the current election after a four-month break from politics. “It is my good fortune. She is my aunt and has blessed me,” Scindia mentioned.
Regarding Digvijaya Singh’s chances in the neighboring Raigarh constituency, Scindia commented, “The Congress lacks ideology and human resources. People are leaving every day. The Congress is unable to guide the country’s development or field suitable candidates.”
The BJP is optimistic about winning all 29 seats in Madhya Pradesh this time, including traditionally Congress-leaning Chhindwara. With former Chief Minister Kamal Nath fielding his son Nakul Nath from the constituency instead of running himself, the BJP’s confidence is high.
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