Electioneering has gained momentum for bypolls to the Shahdol (ST) Lok Sabha and Nepanagar (ST) assembly seats where the ruling BJP and Opposition Congress are locked in a keen contest.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and state BJP president Nandkumar Singh Chauhan, former Union Minister Kamal Nath, and state Congress president Arun Yadav are holding public meetings to woo voters and drum up support for their respective parties.
Congress chief whip in Lok Sabha Jyotiraditya Scindia reached Shahdol constituency today and has started campaigning. He is going to stay put for two days in the area.
Chouhan is frequently visiting Shahdol to ensure that the BJP retains the seat. He is taking no chances given that the BJP had failed to retain the Ratlam-Jhabua Lok Sabha seat in November 2015 bypolls.
While Congress has fielded Himadri Singh, daughter of former Union Minister Dalbir Singh and ex-MP Rajesh Nandini Singh, from Shahdol Lok Sabha seat, the BJP has set up senior minister in Shivraj Singh Chouhan's cabinet and tribal leader Gyan Singh from the reserve seat.
From Nepanagar, Congress has reposed faith in tribal leader Antar Singh Barde while BJP has fielded Manju Dadu, daughter of late MLA Rajendra Shyamlal Dadu whose death necessitated the by-poll, to cash in on the sympathy vote.
State BJP President Nandkumar Singh Chauhan is an MP from Khandwa Lok Sabha seat and Nepanagar is a part of it, therefore retaining it is more prestigious for him as well as the ruling party.
Besides them, a number of other candidates have also filed their nominations for the two by-polls.
After the last date of withdrawal of nominations, a total of 17 candidates are in fray for the Shahdol Lok Sabha and four for the Nepanagar Assembly by-polls, where polling is scheduled on November 19, an election official said.
Apart from two main parties in the state, Communist Party of India (Parmeshwar Singh Porte), Lok Janshakti Party (Krishna Pal Singh Pavel), Gondwana Gantantra Party (Hirasingh Markm) and Apna Dal (Sajjan Singh Paraste) are also in the contest for the Shahdol Lok Sabha by-poll.
In Nepanagar besides Congress and BJP, Republican Party
of India (A) (Revanta) and Lok Janshakti Party (Ber Singh) have also fielded candidates.
Besides, a total of nine persons have filed papers as Independent candidates in Shahdol.
In Nepanagar, there is no Independent candidate in fray, the official said.
The counting of votes will be done on November 22, he said adding that entire poll process will be completed by November 24.
While Shahdol bypoll is necessitated due to death of sitting BJP MP Dalpat Singh Paraste, Nepanagar Assembly seat fell vacant due to death of sitting BJP MLA Rajendra Shyamlal Dadu in an accident.
BJP's Paraste wrested the seat from Congress's Rajesh Nandini Singh by a margin of over 2.14 lakh votes in 2014.
The present BJP candidate Gyan Singh had won the seat twice in 1996 and 1998.
