Bhopal: After defecting to the Bharatiya Janata Party with a section of MLAs and bringing down the Kamal Nath-led Congress government in Madhya Pradesh in 2020, Union Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia made a stellar comeback at the Guna Lok Sabha seat, defeating Congress’s Rao Yadvendra Deshraj Singh, by a margin of 5,40,929 votes.
In 2019, Scindia, who was then contesting on a Congress ticket, had become the first member of the Scindia family to have lost the Guna parliamentary seat. He was defeated by his former aide Krishna Pal Yadav, who had become a first-time MP on a BJP ticket.
The Guna constituency, a Scindia family stronghold, was once held by Scindia’s grandmother, Vijayaraje Scindia, who had started her political career from there in 1957, and had gone on to become the founding member of the Jana Sangh.
Despite Krishna Pal’s victory in 2019, the BJP had dropped him as a candidate this time, and instead fielded Scindia from his family bastion.
A major reason for BJP candidate Yadav’s victory in 2019 was purportedly the consolidation of Yadav votes, constituting about 2.5 lakh of the total votes across the eight assembly seats under the Guna constituency.
Yadav had secured 52.11 percent votes, as opposed to Scindia who had managed to secure 41.45 percent votes.
Sensing resentment amongst the Yadavs over Krishna Pal being denied a ticket in the 2024 polls, the Congress had fielded Yadvendra — also from the Yadav community — a former BJP leader, who had switched to the Congress ahead of the 2023 assembly elections.
Despite the Yadavs, unhappy about Krishna Pal being denied a ticket, rallying behind Yadvendra, he remained unsuccessful in outshining the clout of Scindia. Yadvendra was an unfamiliar face for many.
Several local leaders of the Congress from various communities, including the Muslims and Yadavs, had also switched to the BJP, further impacting Yadvendra’s chances.
Yadvendra’s father, Deshraj Yadav, was considered a staunch Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh leader and a close associate of Vijayaraje. Deshraj had, however, unsuccessfully contested against Madhav Rao Scindia. Following Madhav Rao’s demise in 2001, Jyotiraditya Scindia was fielded by the Congress from Guna, and had also defeated Deshraj.
(Edited by Mannat Chugh)