Rajesh Mishra, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate, officially filed his nomination papers for the Sidhi Lok Sabha seat in the Vindhya region of Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday. Mishra's candidacy comes as the BJP chose to field him after the two-time sitting MP Riti Pathak won the Assembly elections in November last year.
Prior to filing his nomination, Mishra led a massive roadshow in Sidhi, drawing support from top BJP leaders including Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, Deputy CM Rajendra Shukla, and Minister Prahlad Singh Patel.
Addressing the rally, CM Yadav expressed confidence in the BJP's ability to secure victory in Sidhi for the fourth consecutive time, citing continuous support from the people.
Yadav also took a swipe at the Congress for delays in announcing candidates for the remaining 18 Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh. "The Congress is grappling with internal divisions, causing delays in finalizing their candidate list," Yadav remarked, criticizing the opposition's focus on roadshows over election preparation.
Currently, the Congress has only declared candidates for 10 out of the 29 Parliamentary constituencies in the state. The party has allocated the Khajuraho constituency to the Samajwadi Party (SP) and is expected to announce the remaining 18 candidates soon.
Among the declared candidates is former minister Kamaleshwar Patel, who will represent the Congress in the Sidhi Lok Sabha seat. Patel, son of ex-minister Indrajeet Patel, seeks to rebound after losing in the assembly elections last year.
Dr. Mishra, known for his extensive medical service to the community, holds an advantage as the BJP candidate, leveraging the party's track record of winning the Sidhi seat in the last three consecutive elections.
However, the electoral landscape is not without its challenges. Local tensions have emerged, with discontent brewing among some BJP leaders following Mishra's nomination.
The Sidhi Lok Sabha seat, spanning eight assembly segments across three districts, has historically seen a balance of power between the BJP and the Congress. While both parties have won seven elections each, the BJP has clinched victory in the last three contests, including Riti Pathak's triumph in 2019.
Despite initial indications of a two-way race between the BJP and the Congress, the emergence of independent candidate Ajay Pratap Singh, a former BJP Rajya Sabha MP, injects a new dynamic into the electoral landscape, potentially leading to a triangular contest for the Sidhi seat.
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