Madhya Pradesh Assembly Bypolls: Analyzing BJP's Candidate Selection Strategy

The BJP on Saturday announced the candidature of former MP Ramakant Bhargava for Budhni seat and ex-Congress leader Ramniwas Rawat for Vijaypur in the upcoming assembly bypolls in Madhya Pradesh.The bypolls in Budhni and Vijaypur in Sehore and Sheopur districts, respectively, will be held on November 13 and votes will be counted on November 23.As per the schedule announced by the Election Commission earlier this week, the filing of nominations for these two constituencies started on Friday.Bhargava, a resident of Shahganj in the Budhni assembly segment, represented the Vidisha Lok Sabha seat between 2019 and 2024.The bypoll to the Budhni seat was necessitated following the resignation of former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan after being elected from the Vidisha Lok Sabha seat. Chouhan, now the Union Agriculture Minister, represented Budhni for five consecutive terms from 2006 after becoming the CM and once in 1990.In BJP circles, Bhargava is considered close to Chouhan. The Budhni assembly segment is a part of the Vidisha Lok Sabha constituency.The Vijaypur seat fell vacant after Rawat resigned as a Congress MLA and joined the ruling BJP before this year’s Lok Sabha elections, which was swept by the saffron party in the state. Rawat is now the state’s forest minister.As a Congress leader, Rawat has won six times from Vijaypur. Now, he will seek votes in the same constituency on BJP’s lotus symbol.The Congress is yet to declare its candidates.According to election officials, the model code of conduct has been implemented in Sheopur and Sehore districts after the announcement of the bye elections on Tuesday.The filing of nominations, which started on October 18, will continue till October 25.The scrutiny of nomination papers will be done on October 28, while candidates can withdraw their nominations till October 30.According to poll officials, the Vijaypur constituency has 2,54,647 voters, including 1,21,091 female, 1,33,554 male, two from the third gender and 103 service personnel.In Budhni, 2,76,397 citizens are eligible to cast their ballots. Of them, 1,33,280 are female, 1,43,111 male, six from the third gender, and 194 are service voters.There will be 327 polling stations in the Vijaypur constituency, while this number is 363 for the Budhni seat.