As the PM suggests that BJP veteran Shivraj Chouhan would play a major role, Chouhan is going to Delhi

As the PM suggests that BJP veteran Shivraj Chouhan would play a major role, Chouhan is going to Delhi

The Congressman Pratap Bhanu Sharma, who defeated the BJP candidate in 1980 and 1984, gained the seat as a result of Indira Gandhi's post-emergency popularity and the subsequent outpouring of compassion after her passing.

Once incumbent MP Atal Bihari Vajpayee resigned in 1992, Chouhan served as a first-time MLA from his native Budhni. The BJP then nominated Chouhan in the 1992 Lok Sabha by-election.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently said during an election rally that he wants to "take him to Delhi (Centre)," indicating that Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the longest-serving chief minister of Madhya Pradesh and a BJP veteran, would probably play a significant role in national politics.

Interestingly, Vidisha, a historic city on the Bhopal-Delhi rail line, is where Chouhan, the chief minister from 2005 to 2023, is running for the Lok Sabha from his stronghold.

The Congressman Pratap Bhanu Sharma, who defeated the BJP candidate in 1980 and 1984, gained the seat as a result of Indira Gandhi's post-emergency popularity and the subsequent outpouring of compassion after her passing.

Since its creation in 1967, there have only been two instances in which the Congress has won the seat.

Speaking on April 24 at a rally in Harda, Madhya Pradesh, Modi lauded Chouhan, pointing out that the two had worked together as chief ministers and in the party organization.

As the party's general secretary, I was collaborating with Shivraj when he entered parliament. At the event, Modi said, "Now I want to take him with me (to Delhi) once again."

Chouhan, incidentally, had arrived in Vidisha via rail from Delhi upon the announcement of his candidacy.

In the Assembly elections held last year, he led the BJP to a resounding win; nevertheless, the party unexpectedly chose Mohan Yadav to succeed him.

Proudly referred to as'mama' (uncle) and 'paon paon wale bhaiya' during his childhood, Chouhan will be running for his sixth term in the Lok Sabha from Vidisha, a seat held by prominent BJP figures such as the late Atal Bihari Vajpayee (1991), Sushma Swaraj (2009 and 2014), and newspaper publisher Ramnath Goenka (1971).

Following his announcement, Chouhan said that Vajpayee had given him the seat and that it was encouraging that he would be able to serve in that capacity once again after 20 years.

Chouhan had declared at the time, "The BJP is my mother, who has given me everything."

Once incumbent MP Atal Bihari Vajpayee resigned in 1992, Chouhan served as a first-time MLA from his native Budhni. The BJP then nominated Chouhan in the 1992 Lok Sabha by-election.

He served as the seat's MP five times till 2004, at which point he resigned to take the position of chief minister of Madhya Pradesh in 2005.

"We don't see the Congress as a challenge; it's just a ceremonial battle. Even from booths that have historically supported the Congress, we will prevail. Our goal is to see the margin rise. Rajneesh Agrawal, the state BJP secretary and a local of the Vidisha Lok Sabha seat, told PTI that Shivraj ji personally is reaching out to every section.

While enjoying chaat and samosas with a cup of tea, Chouhan and his wife Sadhana Singh are seen mingling with street food sellers while out on the campaign trail. Additionally, because a significant portion of his support base consists of women, he makes it a point to meet with them.

Though Chouhan is the local MP and former chief minister, Vidisha district Congress president Mohit Raghuvanshi said that the BJP politician has not kept his word and ignored Vidisha parliamentary regions.

"Due to the formidable opposition from the Congress, Chouhan, who was the state's principal BJP representative for twenty years, is now limited to campaigning in Vidisha. Raghuvanshi told PTI, "He is now just considered a local leader."

He said that Congress candidate Sharma had founded educational institutions throughout his two stints as a member of parliament, particularly before lawmakers had access to the local area development budget.

Senior journalist and political analyst Rasheed Kidwai told PTI that the BJP was "forced" to field Chouhan from the seat because to pressure from Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, its ideological guru.

"It is an open secret that Shivraj's prominence was sought to be checked but the BJP, under pressure from RSS and women voters, chose to nominate the former chief minister," said Kidwai.

"He's going to win, big time. "In fact, it is going to be a major talking point and compared with margins in Varanasi, Gandhinagar, Lucknow, as well as elsewhere if he wins by the biggest margin from the state or nationally," Kidwai said.

Still, Kidwai said, it's unclear how Chouhan fits into the Modi-Amit Shah combination.

Eight assembly seats in the districts of Vidisha, Raisen, Sehore, and Dewas make up the Vidisha Lok Sabha seat.

In Raisen district, the assembly seats for Bhojpur, Sanchi (SC), and Silwani are located; in Vidisha and Basoda, Budhni and Icchawar are located in Sehore; and in Dewas, Khategaon is located.

The BJP now controls seven of these eight assembly seats for the Vidisha LS seat, with Chouhan representing Budhni.

After Rajkumar Patel, the Congress candidate and a former MLA from Budhni who served as a minister in Digvijaya Singh's cabinet, had his candidacy denied on technical grounds, Swaraj became victorious in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections by a margin of 3.90 lakh votes.

A local BJP representative said that the Vidisha Lok Sabha is mostly 80 per cent rural, with a significant portion from the Dhakad-Kirar community of Chouhan and 35 per cent SCs/STs.

Men make up 10.04 lakh of the 19.38 lakh eligible voters in Vidisha, while women make up 9.34 lakh.