 "Congress faces another defection in MP")
As a domino effect, another spell of defection is feared in the state Congress with speculation that some of its senior leaders and sitting MLAs may join the ruling BJP.
Having lost two members one before assembly elections in November and recently another who was candidate from Bhind seat, few more are rumoured to be in touch with BJP stalwarts.
If sources in BJP and Congress are believed, one local senior leader who comes from minority community is not happy with the candidature of PC Sharma from Bhopal seat. He had written a letter to the party heavyweights floating another name with a healthy logic that nearly 600,000 votes in Bhopal come from minority community.
He wanted to contest Lok Sabha election from Sidhi but the party had fielded Indrajeet Patel instead. He questioned senior leader Digvijay Singh and said party would have to review the situation.
After BJP’s returning to power for third time in a row, defection from the Congress to the BJP has become a new fashion in state politics where 29 members go to Parliament. Prior to state assembly elections, Uday Pratap, a Congress MP (Member of Parliament) from Hoshangabad, had joined the BJP leaving the campaign mid-way.
Earlier in July last year, deputy leader in state assembly Rakesh Chaturvedi, had shocked the by throwing a spanner in the debate of no-confidence motion brought by his own party members against Shivraj Singh Chouhan government. He immediately after the episode joined BJP.
Though senior congress leader and state party President Arun Yadav alleged, “It happened (Bhagirath Prasad’s defection) under some big deal”, the party is grappling with certain prominent issues; factionalism and inaccessibility of top leaders.
“Factionalism is the biggest issue in the Congress as only sons and daughters of satraps are reportedly superseding ranks and seniority. It has demoralised the loyalists. Also Sonia and Rahul Gandhi’s inaccessibility to local leaders and too much reliance on Satraps like Jytiraditya Scindia, Kamal Nath, Digvijaya Singh and others is also one of the prime reasons for defection,” a political observer told BS.
Yet, revolt has not surfaced but vocal critics have come up. Sajjan Singh Verma, who is member of Parliament from Dewas had questioned Rahul Gandhi’s role in doling Rajya Sabha seats to DIgvijay Singh, Madhu Sudan Mistry and Motilal Vora recently.
The trend triggered in 2009, is now have gripped all camps within the party.
During the 2009 Lok Sabha elections the Congress candidate Rajkumar Patel was accused of having conceded the election for Vidisha seat to the BJP candidate Sushma Swaraj by intentionally missing the deadline to submit papers. However party had expelled him. In 2009 BJP had won16 seats, Congress 12 and BSP one seat.
Having lost two members one before assembly elections in November and recently another who was candidate from Bhind seat, few more are rumoured to be in touch with BJP stalwarts.
If sources in BJP and Congress are believed, one local senior leader who comes from minority community is not happy with the candidature of PC Sharma from Bhopal seat. He had written a letter to the party heavyweights floating another name with a healthy logic that nearly 600,000 votes in Bhopal come from minority community.
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Another leader from Chambal belt is also learnt to have in parleys with senior BJP leaders in Delhi, sources have told BS. Also a senior congress leader Ajay Singh, who was leader of opposition in state Assembly, burst out with his dissatisfaction over decision of party’s top leadership to field a different candidate from Sidhi seat of his choice.
He wanted to contest Lok Sabha election from Sidhi but the party had fielded Indrajeet Patel instead. He questioned senior leader Digvijay Singh and said party would have to review the situation.
After BJP’s returning to power for third time in a row, defection from the Congress to the BJP has become a new fashion in state politics where 29 members go to Parliament. Prior to state assembly elections, Uday Pratap, a Congress MP (Member of Parliament) from Hoshangabad, had joined the BJP leaving the campaign mid-way.
Earlier in July last year, deputy leader in state assembly Rakesh Chaturvedi, had shocked the by throwing a spanner in the debate of no-confidence motion brought by his own party members against Shivraj Singh Chouhan government. He immediately after the episode joined BJP.
Though senior congress leader and state party President Arun Yadav alleged, “It happened (Bhagirath Prasad’s defection) under some big deal”, the party is grappling with certain prominent issues; factionalism and inaccessibility of top leaders.
“Factionalism is the biggest issue in the Congress as only sons and daughters of satraps are reportedly superseding ranks and seniority. It has demoralised the loyalists. Also Sonia and Rahul Gandhi’s inaccessibility to local leaders and too much reliance on Satraps like Jytiraditya Scindia, Kamal Nath, Digvijaya Singh and others is also one of the prime reasons for defection,” a political observer told BS.
Yet, revolt has not surfaced but vocal critics have come up. Sajjan Singh Verma, who is member of Parliament from Dewas had questioned Rahul Gandhi’s role in doling Rajya Sabha seats to DIgvijay Singh, Madhu Sudan Mistry and Motilal Vora recently.
The trend triggered in 2009, is now have gripped all camps within the party.
During the 2009 Lok Sabha elections the Congress candidate Rajkumar Patel was accused of having conceded the election for Vidisha seat to the BJP candidate Sushma Swaraj by intentionally missing the deadline to submit papers. However party had expelled him. In 2009 BJP had won16 seats, Congress 12 and BSP one seat.