"Aapne kabhi BJP walon ko kutte par peshab karte hue dekha hai? Maine inhe ek adivasi par peshab karte hue dekha hai (Have you ever seen a BJP worker urinate on a dog? I have seen them urinate on a tribal man in MP)."
Even as Rahul Gandhi continued his political attacks against the incumbent Shivraj Singh Chauhan government in Madhya Pradesh, the incident he referred to in his speech last week has had very little effect on the political sphere of the Vindhya region.
In June 2023, a purported video showing BJP leader Pravesh Shukla allegedly urinating on a tribal man named Dashmat Rawat in the Sidhi district of MP surfaced on social media, triggering a massive controversy.
The incident prompted CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan to apologise to Dashmat and wash his feet in yet another video that went viral.
Cut to November, 35-year-old Dashmat is surrounded by security guards deployed by the district police. He recently joined the Bhim Army, and the construction of his new home is underway.
Even so, the discussion surrounding atrocities against tribal and other marginalised communities has lost momentum in the run-up to the Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections – at least among the locals of the region.
A Region of Various Ideologies
Dashmat's move to join the Bhim Army – despite being enticed by both the BJP and the Congress – is not surprising for a region that has blessed a plethora of political parties and ideologies, ranging from the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) to the CPI(M).
Cases in point: Bheem Singh Patel, the BSP's first Lok Sabha member from the state, was elected from the Vindhya region in 1991, followed by the election of Ram Lakhan Sharma from the CPI(M) in the state Assembly in 1993.
This may also be why Arvind Kejriwal's AAP is eyeing its entry into the state Assembly from the Singrauli seat of the Vindhya region.
In the 2018 Assembly elections, however, Vindhya shifted its loyalties to the saffron party, with the BJP winning 24 out of 30 seats. The Congress was reduced to just six seats.
So, what makes the Vindhya region so distinct in MP's political landscape? What are some of the major issues faced by the constituents here? Which are the major constituencies to watch out for in Vindhya?
1. Sidhi
In Sidhi – which has become a hot seat after the urination incident – a scared BJP, fearing a tribal backlash, dropped incumbent four-time MLA Kedarnath Shukla and fielded sitting Lok Sabha MP Reeti Pathak against Congress's Gyan Singh – a Thakur leader.
Jilted by this, Shukla, too, filed his nomination as an Independent candidate, further making things difficult for both the BJP and Congress.
The Sidhi Assembly seat has had a history of being a saffron stronghold, but Shukla has been mired in one too many controversies.
His name made the headlines when a photo showing journalists and theatre artistes being stripped down to their underwear went viral in April 2022. Before this, in 2021, a tribal family had accused Shukla of forcibly acquiring their lands.
2. Churhat
Merely 25 km from Sidhi lies Churhat, which was once a Congress stronghold and bastion of former MP chief minister and Congress leader Arjun Singh. The seat is witnessing a strong contest between incumbent BJP MLA Shardendu Tiwari and Ajay Singh.
Shardendu defeated Ajay Singh in 2018, ending his four-time streak from Churhat.
The Brahmin vote, a significant factor in this region, becomes pivotal, with Sharadendu strategically addressing the concerns of the community, like the building of roads and a bridge over Son river.
Locals told The Quint that Ajay Singh lost in 2018 only because of his absence from the constituency.
3. Rewa City
The Rewa Assembly seat, consistently held by the BJP, features an intriguing contest between Rajendra Shukla of the BJP and Rajendra Sharma of the Congress.
Rajendra Shukla's prolonged tenure raises concerns of anti-incumbency, while Rajendra Sharma's local business prominence adds an interesting dynamic to the fight.
Although Sharma had contested against Shukla in 2008 and lost, the former's business acumen could resonate with the electorate amidst the ongoing expansion of urbanisation in Rewa.
4. Deotalab
Deotalab, currently represented by Girish Gautam of the BJP, witnesses triangular as well as a familial contest, as the Congress has fielded Padmesh Gautam to challenge his uncle Girish Gautam.
The Samajwadi Party, meanwhile, has fielded Jaiveer Singh Sengar, who lost the previous elections by a margin of just 1,000 votes. The Congress candidate remained at third position.
Girish Gautam, who defeated Congress stalwart Shrinivas Tiwari and almost pushed his political career towards the finish line, has been holding the fort for the BJP since 2008. The Congress has not clinched victory in this Assembly constituency for the last 35 years.
The narrow victory margin of Girish Gautam in the previous election, his son's defeat in the panchayat elections, and the candidature of Jaiveer Singh make this seat a focal point in the Vindhya region.
5. Teonthar
Teonthar is one of the most highlighted seats witnessing a paradigm shift with Shrinivas Tiwari's grandson, Siddharth Tiwari, joining the BJP. Shrinivas Tiwari is one of the most coveted Congress leaders from the Vindhya region in the history of Madhya Pradesh.
As Tiwari was an eight-time MLA and an MP once, his grandson Siddharth joining the BJP is naturally being perceived as a major boost for the party.
This move not only adds a new dimension to the electoral landscape but also challenges the Congress's historical dominance. Teonthar was a Congress bastion till 1990, but after that, it has mostly sided with the BJP and once with the BSP in 2008.
Siddharth has been fielded by the BJP, replacing its incumbent MLA Ramakant Tiwari against the Congress' Ramashankar Singh who lost to Ramakant by a margin of around 9,500 votes in 2018.
While in recent history, this seat has been held by the BJP, the decision to field an outsider like Siddharth Tiwari has stirred internal dissent within the BJP, potentially creating divisions that could favour the Congress in the election.
6. Sihawal
In Sihawal, the battle between Congress' Kamleshwar Patel, a member of the CWC (Congress’ top decision-making body) and the BJP's Vishwamitra Pathak epitomises the clash of political heavyweights.
Interestingly, in the 2018 elections, the BJP had fielded Shiv Bahadur Chandel, leading to an internal rift followed by Vishwamitra Pathak contesting independently and securing around 28,000 votes. This resulted in a vote loss for the BJP.
7. Maihar
If we look at the electoral equation of Maihar in the last three elections, this seat has not been a traditional bastion of any party.
In 2018, Narayan Tripathi won on the BJP ticket. However, in the year 2013, Congress candidate Narayan Prasad won, succeeding BJP's Moti Lal Tiwari who won in 2008.
Tripathi had won this seat in 2003 as well but he contested on Samajwadi Party ticket.
In July 2022 he accused his own party, the BJP, of using government officials for campaigning for the party candidates during the local body elections.
This time, Tripathi has formed his own party, 'Vindhya Janata Party'.
The BJP, meanwhile, has fielded Shrikant Chaturvedi, who was a Congress candidate in 2018 and had lost to Tripathi. Interestingly, Chaturvedi was once Tripathi's election manager.
The results of this seat will decide the future of the demand for a separate Vindhya Pradesh and the future of Narayan Tripathi and his VJP.
8. Satna (Local)
Satna (Local) seat made news after the BJP replaced its former candidate Ratnakar Chaturvedi Shiva and fielded sitting MP Ganesh Singh against incumbent Congress MLA Siddharth Kushwaha.
Siddharth Kushwaha had refrained from supporting the Congress' Lok Sabha candidate Rajaram Tripathi during 2019 Lok Sabha elections allegedly due to his business ties with BJP candidate Ganesh Singh.
BJP won the seat by a margin of over a margin 2.3 lakh votes. Political discussions are rife over the purported business relations between BJP MP Ganesh Singh and Congress MLA Kushwaha, now that both have been pitted against each other.
In the 15 elections held so far in the Satna Assembly seat, upper-caste candidates have won 13 times. Saeed Ahmed, a Muslim, and Siddharth Kushwaha, an OBC, have won once each on Congress tickets.
9. Chitrakoot
This constituency, famous for hosting one of the surrendered dacoits Prem Singh Baraundha, is also witnessing a complicated tussle of political heirs and defection, among other things.
Prem Singh, who surrendered in 1982-83 during the Congress' Arjun Singh's regime, was elected MLA in 1998, 2003, and then in 2013.
Incumbent Congress MLA Neelanshu Chaturvedi, who won the by-elections necessitated due to the death of Prem Singh, claims to be his political heir while Samajwadi party's candidate Sanjay Singh claims to have had a father-in-law-type relationship with Prem Singh after marrying the daughter of his brother.
The BJP, too, has fielded its former MLA Surendra Singh Geharwar who lost to Chaturvedi by around 10,000 votes.
The constituency is witnessing a quadrangular contest between the Congress's Neelanshu Chaturvedi, BJP's Surendra Singh Geharwar, SP's Sanjay Singh, and BSP's Subhash Sharma Doli who defected from the BJP.
The Chitrakoot Assembly seat has around 60,000 Brahmin voters followed by more than 53,000 SC-ST voters. The Thakur community is the third largest community with around 7,000 voters.
10. Anuppur
An SC reserved constituency, the Anuppur seat of Shahdol district is witnessing strong contest between the Congress and the BJP, as the latter has fielded defected Congress MLA Bisahulal Sahu who joined them along with Jyotiraditya Scindia in 2020.
In the 2018 Assembly elections, Bisahulal emerged triumphant with a significant margin of 11,561 votes against BJP's Ramlal Rautel. After defecting to the BJP in 2020, Sahu also won the by-elections against Congress' Vishwanath Singh by a margin of 34,864 votes.
Locals, however, have expressed discontent against the six-time MLA Sahu over the issues of employment and his absence from the constituency.
With a little over 1.64 lakh voters in Anuppur, Congress has fielded former deputy collector Ramesh Singh against Sahu. Singh's wife is the sitting zilla panchayat president.
As the Vindhya region gears up for a crucial electoral showdown, these key constituencies not only reflect the shifting sands of local politics but also carry the potential to influence the broader state-level dynamics.
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