Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Congress candidate Mukesh Malhotra defeated defector and BJP minister Ramniwas Rawat in the Vijaypur byelections on Saturday. Malhotra—seen as an underdog—won the seat by 7,228 votes to ensure Congress’ claim over Vijaypur.
Notably, Rawat had won Sheopur’s Vijaypur seat in Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections held in November 2023. Less than six months after the result, he ditched the grand old party to join the saffron clan for a ministerial berth in the Madhya Pradesh cabinet.
The seat fell vacant as part of the protocols, and byelections were announced.
The voting was held on November 13 amid several incidents of violence reported from the Vijaypur constituency. Congress state chief Jitu Patwari accused BJP workers of disrupting the voting and attacking the public and Congress workers.
Congress chief Jitu Patwari congratulate Mukesh Malhotra, hailing it as ‘Satya ki Jeet’
1. Discontent and anger against Rawats:
The ground reports suggest that public sentiment was not in favor of Rawats as a caste. There were incidents where locals accused people from the Rawat (Brahmin) community of misbehaving with females, abducting their sisters and daughters. Allegations of atrocities against Dalits and backward classes were also on the rise.
This led to anger among the public, which in turn proved to be an advantage for Congress candidate Mukesh Malhotra.
2. Not enough support from BJP
One of the major reasons for Ramniwas Rawat’s defeat is said to be the BJP itself. The whispers on the field indicate that the BJP workers were not happy with the top leadership’s decision to field the ex-Congress leader Ramniwas Rawat. The demotivated workers hesitated to go all out and campaign for him, eventually adding to the loss.
