As the much-awaited date for bypolls to 28 crucial seats in Madhya Pradesh was announced on Tuesday, former chief minister and MP Congress chief Kamal Nath said the Congress will defeat the BJP in all the seats.
Nath, who lost his 15-month government in March this year after defection of 22 Congress MLAs– most of them Jyotiraditya Scindia supporters– to the BJP camp, added that the bypolls results will be fitting reply to those who insulted the people’s mandate and murdered constitutional values and democracy.
“People of Madhya Pradesh will give fitting reply to those who caused the fall of a popular, duly elected and pro-development government,” Nath tweeted.
The former chief minister also said the Congress is fully prepared to face the polls. “We have already announced 24 (out of 28) candidates and the names of the rest will be announced soon,” he said.
Meanwhile, chief spokesman of MP BJP Deepak Vijayvargiya said the last date for filing nominations (October 16) is more than a fortnight away and the party will announce its candidates at the right time. He added that the organisation and preparations are very much on till the polling booth level.
Though the official announcement of BJP candidates is yet to be made, names of at least 25 out of the 28 seats are a foregone conclusion as the ex-MLAs of Congress who joined the BJP after resignations are certain to get the tickets. Names are only to be decided for the three seats that became vacant due to deaths of the incumbent MLAs.
Make or break polls
The bypolls are extremely crucial for the state as the results will decide whether the Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led BJP government will continue at the helm or the Congress – thrown out of power in March this year—could make a comeback.
Of the 230-member Madhya Pradesh assembly, 28 seats are vacant and the BJP has 107 MLAs as of now. The majority mark is at 116, and hence the ruling party requires win at least nine of the 28 seats to retain power.
The Congress, meanwhile, has a tougher task at hand as it is left with only 88 MLAs currently and will have to win all the 28 seats up for the bypolls to hit the majority mark by itself. It might attempt a shot at forming government again, even if it wins anything over 20 seats, with the help of four independents, two BSP MLAa and one SP MLA, who were supporting the Kamal Nath government earlier.
Save for Pradeep Jaiswal, who was a minister in Kamal Nath cabinet, none of the six other non-Congress MLAs have been adjusted in the BJP government. Jaiswal was made chairman of MP Mining Development Corporation – a cabinet minister rank post – in July this year.
Constituencies up for bypolls
Gwalior, Gwalior East, Dabra, Surkhi, Sanchi, Sanwer, Bamori, Sumawali, Morena, Dimni, Ambah, Mehgaon, Gohad, Bhander, Karera, Pohri, Ashoknagar, Mungaoli, Anuppur, Hatpipalya, Badnawar, Suwasra, Bada Malhera, Nepanagar, Mandhata, Jaura, Agar, Biaora.