Experimentation resulted in BJP's defeat in Shivpuri

Gwalior, June 5 (UNI) The defeat of the ruling BJP in assembly by-election in Shivpuri constituency of Madhya Pradesh could be attributed to the experimentation by the party besides vote-cutting by the Bharatiya Jan Shakti (BJS) candidate.

Sidelining its local workers, the BJP fielded Mr Ganesh Gautam, who had contested the last four Assembly elections on Congress ticket, from Shivpuri, which fell vacant after then state Tourism Minister Yashodhara Raje Scindia of BJP resigned following her election to the Lok Sabha from Gwalior.

The opposition by party workers, including Ms Scindia, worried state BJP President Narendra Singh Tomar, Water Resource Minister Anoop Mishra and Education Minister Narottam Mishra, who camped in Shivpuri.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, several ministers, senior party leaders and hundreds of party workers also campaigned strongly for the BJP nominee.

On the other hand, local MP Jyotiraditya Scindia was irked because of Congress loyalist Ganesh Gautam changing sides. Mr Scindia made the by-election appear as contest between the ruling front and the Scindia family.

Backing Congress candidate Virendra Singh Raghuvanshi, Union Ministers Suresh Pachauri and Kantilal Bhuria, central leaders Narayan Sami and Meira Kumar, Madhya Pradesh Congress President Subhash Yadav, Leader of Opposition Jamuna Devi and other prominent leaders campaigned during the bypoll.

The topmost priority of both the parties was to check internal dissent and factionalism but the BJP failed in its endeavour.

Meanwhile, BJS candidate Narendra Birthare secured 10,000 votes causing big loss to the BJP, whose strategy of fielding an unexpected candidate, after it did so in Bada Malehra assembly by-election, was rejected by people.

A UNI report from Shivpuri said, BJP's district unit President Devendra Jain said the dissatisfaction among party workers over ticket distribution was responsible for the loss.

State Bharatiya Janta Yuva Morcha's Secretary Dhairyavardhan Sharma said the Congress was benefitted because of the absence of BSP candidate in the bypolls.

Political observers described discontent among BJP workers over ticket distribution as the cause of its defeat.

On the other hand, Mr Raghuwanshi told reporters here that the credit for his victory went to public and Congress MP Jyotiraditya Scindia.

UNI