LS polls: From bypass to rail connectivity, Jyotiraditya invokes track record as he bids for fresh term from bastion Guna

Guna (Madhya Pradesh) [India], May 5 : Stressing his track record of fulfilling aspirations and meeting public expectations in his previous terms as a member of the Lok Sabha, Union Minister and the BJP's Guna candidate Jyotiraditya Scindia pointed to the ongoing implementation of public infrastructure projects in his constituency.
Addressing a public event at Guna on Saturday, the Civil Aviation Minister said, "I have always worked to fulfil people's expectations for development and progress. Talking about Guna, there had been a demand for a bypass to enable easier passage of trucks and heavy commercial vehicles. The demand had been pending for 25 years. However, I got it done in 16 months. The new 15 km-long bypass enables trucks to pass Guna without entering the city. The lone highway here used to be in a shambles. However, a 450km long six-lane highway has now been built at Rs 5,000 crore, connecting Gwalior, Shivpuri, Guna and Dewas. Hardly 2 or 3 trains would stop at Guna in the previous years but now, trains from every corner of the country halt here."
"Neither my father (late Congress leader Madhavrao Scindia) nor me ever aspired for this seat. Working for and contributing to the development of the country at large has always been my aim," Jyotiraditya added.
Significantly, Scindia's son, Mahanaaryaman, has been actively participating in his father's campaign for the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.
On whether he sees his son make a foray into politics, Jyotiraditya said while public service remains paramount, the decision to pursue a political career would be solely Mahanaaryaman's.
"I used to campaign for my father since the age of 13 and my son is doing likewise for me today. Public service should be at the core of whichever course he wishes to pursue in life going forward. It could be through politics or any other vocation that chooses for himself. The decision on entering politics rests entirely with him," the Union Minister added.
Speaking to ANI earlier, Mahanaryaman said his father cultivated his connect with the people not just through politics but the development he brought to the region.
"This is not the first time that I am campaigning for my father and visiting areas such as Guna, Shivpuri and Ashoknagar. I keep visiting these places irrespective of whether elections are around the corner or not. The relationship that my family has with the people here goes back years and generations. This is largely down to the fact that regardless of whether we are in politics or not, we have worked to bring progress and development here and engage with the people."
Guna has been the bastion of the Scindias for decades. However, in the 2019 general elections, Jyotiraditya lost the seat to Krishna Pal Singh Yadav, his former aide who ran on a BJP ticket. The Union Minister was with the Congress at the time.
This time, however, the Union Minister is pitted against Rao Yadavendra Singh Yadav of the Congress.
Polling for the 18th Lok Sabha in Madhya Pradesh is being conducted in four phases. The first phase of polling was held on April 19 and the second on April 26.

Voting for the remaining two phases is scheduled to be held on May 7 and 13. The counting of votes for all phases is scheduled for June 4.

A total of nine parliamentary constituencies in the state--Morena, Bhind, Gwalior, Guna, Sagar, Vidisha, Bhopal, Rajgarh and Betul--will poll in Phase 3 on May 7.

The remaining eight constituencies--Dewas, Ujjain, Mandsaur, Ratlam, Dhar, Indore, Khargone and Khandwa--will go to the polls in the fourth and last phase in the state on May 13.

With 29 Lok Sabha constituencies, Madhya Pradesh ranks sixth among all states in terms of its representation in the Lower House. Of these, 10 seats are reserved for SC and ST candidates, while the remaining 19 are unreserved.