By Pervez Bari, TwoCircles.netÂ
Bhopal, June 5 : The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, (BJP), in Madhya Pradesh suffered a setback when its politics of experimentation was rejected by the electorate as the main Opposition Congress party snatched victory and wrested the Shivpuri assembly seat from it. The result of the bye-election, which was held on June 2, was announced today after counting of votes.
   The BJP which had granted ticket to a Congress rebel despite strong resentment from its workers and Mrs. Yashodhara Raje Scindia, the former Sports & Tourism Minister in the Madhya Pradesh Government, who had vacated the seat following her election to the Lok Sabha from Gwalior.
   According to an official announcement the Congress candidate Virendra Singh Raghuvanshi defeated his nearest BJP rival Ganesh Gautam by 7,781 votes in the by-polls.Â
   Raghuvanshi polled 47,163 votes as against 39,382 bagged by Gautam, a former Congress MLA who was given a BJP ticket amidst stiff opposition from saffron workers.
   Uma Bharti's Bharatiya Janashakti's (BJS) nominee Narendra Birthare was pushed to the third position with 10,438 votes and lost his security, it was stated.
   The BJP's apple-cart was overturned by BJS as it played spoil-sport for the ruling party. Birthare's presence proved a boon in disguise for the Congress and bane for BJP as BJS secured most of the Brahmin and Lodhi votes. The over 10,000 votes garnered by BJS was cut from the BJP's share of committed votes which otherwise would have seen it (BJP) through at the hustings.
   The BJP's apple-cart was overturned by BJS as it played spoil-sport for the ruling party. Birthare's presence proved a boon in disguise for the Congress and bane for BJP as BJS secured most of the Brahmin and Lodhi votes. The over 10,000 votes garnered by BJS was cut from the BJP's share of committed votes which otherwise would have seen it (BJP) through at the hustings.
   Resentment among BJP workers during electioneering was evident as Mrs. Yashodhara Raje kept away from campaigning in Shivpuri – the bastion of the royal family of Scindias.
   Congress Member of Parliament Jyotiraditya Scindia had capitalized on the situation, actively taking part in Raghuvanshi's poll campaign. He was also helped by nearly half-a-dozen Union ministers and senior Congress leaders who held meetings to swing votes in party's favour.
   Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who had denied any rift in the party over nomination of Gautam, held over 40 election meetings in Shivpuri, while a dozen of his ministerial colleagues had campaigned for the party, but could not save the seat.
    The setback to BJP in the by-poll will certainly bring to a halt ruling party's politics of experimentation as, despite internal protest and party workers' annoyance, the saffron party granted a ticket to a Congress rebel former MLA Ganesh Ram Gautam.
   However, in the earlier Bada Malehra Assembly by-election, a similar experiment had yielded better results though it needs to be mentioned that the discomfiture within the party at fielding a former Congressman then was not as much as this time around. The party had fielded Kapurchand Ghuwara against the BJS' Rekha Yadav. Ghuwara was considered a strong opponent to Uma and thus, he was fielded.
   However, in the earlier Bada Malehra Assembly by-election, a similar experiment had yielded better results though it needs to be mentioned that the discomfiture within the party at fielding a former Congressman then was not as much as this time around. The party had fielded Kapurchand Ghuwara against the BJS' Rekha Yadav. Ghuwara was considered a strong opponent to Uma and thus, he was fielded.
   Inspired by Ghuwara's victory, the party had now fielded Ganesh Gautam, a member of Congress party. Gautam, had before this, contested from here four times under the Congress banner.
   Political analysts believe that the BJP decided to adopt the Malehra by-election model in which Kapurchand Ghuwara, who was earlier associated with CPI and then Congress, successfully fought on a BJP ticket in BJS founder-president Uma Bharti's citadel, to replicate their success story of taming both Congress and BJS at one go.
   Though discontent simmered over such experimentation, the BJP's top strategists viewed this as a tactical exercise in the run-up to next year's Assembly elections. Admitting that party workers were not happy with these decisions, a senior leader in the BJP's State unit said, ''none can disagree that in a close contest such as Malehra the best strategist emerged the victor. Shivpuri was also a keen contest. It will be wrong to state that the party compromised on policies and principles. We actually reaped a psychological advantage.'' However, the ploy failed this time round.
   Analysts feel that the internal feuding and factionalism in Madhya Pradesh's main opposition Congress has resulted in several dissatisfied leaders. BJS leaders too are in a dilemma whether to contest the 2008 poll on BJS tickets or return to BJP fold.
   Political analysts believe that the BJP decided to adopt the Malehra by-election model in which Kapurchand Ghuwara, who was earlier associated with CPI and then Congress, successfully fought on a BJP ticket in BJS founder-president Uma Bharti's citadel, to replicate their success story of taming both Congress and BJS at one go.
   Though discontent simmered over such experimentation, the BJP's top strategists viewed this as a tactical exercise in the run-up to next year's Assembly elections. Admitting that party workers were not happy with these decisions, a senior leader in the BJP's State unit said, ''none can disagree that in a close contest such as Malehra the best strategist emerged the victor. Shivpuri was also a keen contest. It will be wrong to state that the party compromised on policies and principles. We actually reaped a psychological advantage.'' However, the ploy failed this time round.
   Analysts feel that the internal feuding and factionalism in Madhya Pradesh's main opposition Congress has resulted in several dissatisfied leaders. BJS leaders too are in a dilemma whether to contest the 2008 poll on BJS tickets or return to BJP fold.
   Meanwhile, the Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee, (MPCC), has termed the win as a vote against the non-performance of the state government and said the people were fed up with BJP rule.
   MPCC general secretary and spokesman Manak Agarwal in a statement said that BJP's mandate is dwindling among the common man. The people are running away from BJP's false promises and their faith in the Congress is increasing gradually, he added.Â
   While another MPCC spokesperson Brijmohan Shrivastava said that three years of BJP misrule has brought total anarchy in the state. The people have lost patience and want to get rid of the present rule, he claimed.Â
   However, BJP has refused to accept the by-poll defeat as a mandate against the government. BJP spokesperson Uma Shankar Gupta asserted that the result of one by-election should not be taken as a vote against the government. There were several factors including the Gujjar agitation in Rajasthan that affected the result, he opined. ( [email protected]
   While another MPCC spokesperson Brijmohan Shrivastava said that three years of BJP misrule has brought total anarchy in the state. The people have lost patience and want to get rid of the present rule, he claimed.Â
   However, BJP has refused to accept the by-poll defeat as a mandate against the government. BJP spokesperson Uma Shankar Gupta asserted that the result of one by-election should not be taken as a vote against the government. There were several factors including the Gujjar agitation in Rajasthan that affected the result, he opined. ( [email protected]
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