Bharat Jodo Yatra a failure in MP; BJP wins 17 of 21 seats it covered

By Anil Dubey from Bhopal: The Congress' hopes of the Bharat Jodo Yatra paying dividends in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls were dashed on Sunday with the Bharatiya Janata Party winning 17 of the 21 seats from which the Rahul Gandhi-led programme passed.

Between November 23 and December 4 last year, the yatra covered 380 kilometres through six districts of MP's Malwa-Nimar region, namely Burhanpur, Khandwa, Khargone, Indore, Ujjain and Agar Malwa, which cumulatively have 21 seats.

In 2018, the BJP had won 14 of these seats, while the Congress emerged victorious on seven. This time, the BJP bettered its tally to 17, reducing the Congress to four seats.

The BJP won Burhanpur (Archana Chitnis) and Nepanagar (Manju Dadu) Assembly segments in Burhanpur district. The Burhanpur seat was won in 2018 by Independent candidate Surendra Singh Shera, who was the Congress candidate in 2023.

Nepanagar seat was won by Congress' Sumitra Kasdekar in 2018 but she changed sides and was elected on a BJP ticket in the 2020 bypoll. The BJP has retained this seat.

The BJP's Narayan Patel and Chhaya More won from Mandhata and Pandhana, respectively. In 2018, Pandhana seat was won by BJP's Ram Dangore, while Narayan Patel of the Congress had won from Mandhata seat. Patel, however, shifted to the BJP and had won a bypoll in 2020. He was given a ticket again by the ruling party.

In Khargone district, the yatra passed through Badwah and Bhikangaon Assembly seats. While the BJP's Sachin Birla won from Badwah, the Congress' Jhuma Solanki emerged victorious in Bhikangangaon. Both the seats were won by the Congress in 2018. Badwah MLA Sachin Birla later joined the BJP.

The Bharat Jodo Yatra covered all eight seats of Indore district. The BJP emerged victorious on all eight. BJP's Usha Thakur and Madhu Verma won from Mhow and Rau, respectively.

Indore-1, Indore-2, Indore-3, Indore-4 and Indore-5 were won by BJP candidates.

BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya won from Indore-1 seat by defeating sitting MLA Sanjay Shukla. BJP's Ramesh Mendola (Indore-2), Golu Shukla (Indore-3), Malini Gaud (Indore-4) and Mahendra Hardia (Indore-5) also won. The BJP's Tulsi Silawat, who had switched to the saffron party from the Congress in 2020, won from Sanwer seat.

Before crossing into Rajasthan on December 4 last year, the Bharat Jodo Yatra covered Agar Malwa and Susner Assembly seats of Agar Malwa district.

BJP's Madhav Singh won Agar Malwa seat while Bhairo Singh of Congress won Susner seat.

The BJP won the Agar Malwa Assembly seat in 2018 but lost it to the Congress in a 2020 bypoll necessitated by the death of sitting MLA Manohar Untwal. The Susner Assembly seat was won in 2018 by Independent candidate Vikram Singh Rana, who later joined the BJP.

The BJP's Mohan Yadav and Anil Jain won from Ujjain South and Ujjain North seats, respectively.

Satish Malviya of BJP won from Ghatiya and Mahesh Parmar of Congress emerged victorious from Tarana seat. Dinesh Jain from Congress won Mahidpur assembly seat.

In 2018, four of the five seats in Ujjain districts were won by the BJP, leaving the Congress with just one victory.

The four seats the Congress won on the route that the yatra covered in MP are Bhikangaon, Tarana, Mahidpur and Susner.

Incidentally, Congress leaders have routinely claimed the Bharat Jodo Yatra was the reason for the Congress' win in Karanataka in May this year.

In the southern state, the party had won from 15 of the 20 Assembly seats through which the Rahul Gandhi-led yatra passed.

Later in October this year, the Congress had given credit to the yatra for its win in the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Kargil, polls.