Mungaoli By-election: Modern day Arjuna Battling Against Kauravas?

For the people of Mungaoli, it is the battle between Scindia Vs Shivraj. The winner will likely be the next CM of MP

Maine apko bijli di, paani diya, sadkon ka jaal bicha dala. Ye khamba dekh rahe ho, ye bhi maine diya, magar shivraj ji 14 salon me apko bijli nahi de paye (I have given you water, roads and the basic infrastructure. The wire running right above you and the electric pole beside the ground was given by me. However, Shivraaj ji kept you deprived by not providing electricity in the last 14 years of his tyranny.)

Jyotiraditya Madhavrao Scindia

This statement was followed by thousands of voices cheering, unanimously- ‘Maharaj Scindia, Zindabad’

Mungaoli, a constituency in Guna, evidently the realm of Jyotiraditya Scindia will go through an ‘Agni Pariksha’ on 24 February 2018. On one side, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan, with all his ministers, has invested all that he could, to win the confidence of Mungaoli. While at the opposite end, Jyotiraditya Scindia, famously referred to as Maharaj in Guna, has his pride and chief minister ship on stake, when the state goes for elections at the end of this year.

In most circumstances, the by-elections go unnoticed, often overlooked by the party leadership. However, in Madhya Pradesh the by-elections of Mungaoli and Kolaras of Ashok Nagar district have grabbed attention of state stalwarts from both Indian National Congress (INC) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Mungaoli’s 1.9 lacs electorate are ready to pave way for the political leadership which will affect the decision of 7 crore people of Madhya Pradesh, going for elections at the end of this year. Political analysts argue it to be the semi-finals for the upcoming state election as the result would send a strong message to the general public at large.

The by-election is taking place due to the untimely demise of the then sitting Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA), Mahendra Singh Kalukheda of Indian National Congress (INC). The constituency with around 1,90,000 voters is home to several castes and communities namely Yadavs, Harijans, Lodhis, Banjaras, etc and shelters various religious minorities including Sikhs, Jains, and Muslims in substantial number.

Electoral Mahabharata

The by-election of the Mungaoli constituency can be seen as the fight of Arjuna against the Kauravas as was depicted in the Indian mythological epic Mahabharata. Arjuna had Krishna as his charioteer, similarly, Brijendra Yadav, candidate of Congress party, has Maharaja (MP) of Guna, Jyotiraditya Madhavrao Scindia. Scindhia acting as the guiding star for Yadav has personally rallied numerous times in the constituency, showcasing all his might and valour. On the other hand, just like Kauravas had big generals including Bhisma and Dronacharya, the BJP candidate, Baishahab has support of the Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan with other ministers of the state.

However, only time will tell if the modern day Bhisma and Dronacharya will see the light of the day or will meet similar fate and die fighting?

Mungaoli’s candidate Brijendra Singh Yadav (INC), who heads the district ‘Kisan Congress Committee’, has been vocal against the exploitation of farmers in the district. Even his major opponents do not hesitate to acknowledge his contribution towards the farmer’s welfare and well-being. His clean image as a politician has left a positive mark amongst all the sections of the society, irrespective of their social or economic standing.

Interestingly, Both Brijendra Yadav (INC) and Baisahab (BJP) are from the same village, ‘Amrod’ and come from one kinship, analogous to the Pandavas and the Kauravas in Mahabharata.

For the Congress candidate Brijendra Singh Yadav to out-power his counterpart, Baisahab, who comes from a family with more than 3 decades of political association, he’ll have to win the confidence of his own community first. Brijendra Singh Yadav is fighting against the decisive caste equation which plays a significant role in determining the electoral success in Mungaoli. Yadavs who are the dominant caste and nearly constitute more than 1/5th of the total electorates have been in support of the BJP in the past.

However, since the Congress has also fielded a candidate from the same caste, it would be interesting to see, on which side will the pendulum stop?

Wind of Change in Favour of Brijendra

Although, the Mungaoli seat has been hitherto alternatively swinging between INC and BJP, the choice of candidates by the parties, INC and BJP this time, might break the trend of alternate transfer of power. The local caste equations predict INC reclaiming the Mungaoli constituency with a reasonable margin.

Rao Brijendra Singh will carve his name in golden words in the history of by-elections in India. The coming generations will remember him as a man who took fight against the leadership and the entire state machinery for the welfare of poor and marginalized.

For the people of Mungaoli, it is the battle between Scindia Vs Shivraj. The winner will likely be the next Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh.

(Prakhar Singh is a public policy professional and tweets at @prakharsingh5. Dulan Boruah is a TISS graduate who has worked with the Assam and Andhra Pradesh government and tweets at @Dulan6. This is a personal blog and the views expressed above are the authors’ own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for the same.)

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