Madhya Pradesh inches closer to ‘Congress Mukt’ status as more leaders join saffron ranks

K K Jha
Indore: Despite the ruling party’s aspiration for a “Congress Mukt Bharat” seeming more like a distant dream for now, recent events in Madhya Pradesh suggest that a “Congress Mukt Madhya Pradesh and Indore” might not be far-fetched. Following the departure of former Union Minister Suresh Pachauri, former MLAs Sanjay Shukla, Vishal Patel, and Gajendra Singh Kalukheri, the exodus continues. Two prominent Congress leaders from Indore district, including the two-time MLA from Mhow, Antar Singh Darbar, and the Congress party’s Lok Sabha candidate from Indore in the 1998 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Pankaj Singhvi, officially joined the saffron party in Bhopal on Friday. Their move was marked by the presence of State BJP President VD Sharma, Kailash Vijayvargiya, and other key figures.
Singhvi’s electoral history against the BJP’s Shankar Lalwani in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and Sumitra Mahajan in 1998 showcases his uphill battles, indicating the tough political terrain he navigated within the Congress ranks. Similarly, Darbar’s electoral journey, marked by wins in 1998 and 2003 followed by defeats in 2008, and 2013, and the denial of a ticket in 2023, underscores the growing dissonance with his party’s leadership. This rift culminated in Darbar’s decision to quit his party, which he had nurtured for several decades. After the denial of his ticket, he also filed his nomination from Mhow as an independent candidate in the 2023 assembly elections and again lost to Usha Thakur.
However, while the BJP has embraced these leaders into its fold, their political prospects within the saffron party remain uncertain. Ground-level BJP party workers and leaders in the region have voiced reservations about the inclusion of these former Congress stalwarts, hinting at potential challenges ahead for their assimilation into the party’s fabric.