MP: Rebellions crop up in Congress after announcement of first candidate list for assembly polls

Oct 16, 2023

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) [India], October 16 : The voice of rebellion has erupted in certain sections of the state unit of the Congress party, after the announcement of its first list of candidates for the forthcoming state assembly poll scheduled to be held next month.
Several Congress leaders have left the party across the state after not getting a ticket to contest the upcoming assembly elections and some have vowed to teach a lesson to the party.
A congress leader Sharda Khatik, who is currently a district panchayat member, had sought a ticket from Naryoli (SC reserved) assembly constituency in Sagar district from the party but the party didn't give her ticket as a result of which she has resigned from the party.
"I have sought a ticket from Naryoli assembly. I am a district panchayat member and the thought of the party was that whoever won the district in civic body elections would get a ticket for the assembly poll. But the party has given tickets to the candidate who lost three times. I have visited the constituency and the public wants me but still the party has not given me the ticket. So I am resigning from the party," she added.
On the other hand, a former MLA of Congress party, Yadvendra Singh resigned from the party after not getting a ticket from Nagod assembly constituency in Satna district (Vindhya Region) and joined the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on Sunday. Singh along with his supporters took membership of BSP in the presence of BSP state president Ramakant at BSP state office in Bhopal.
"When Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's program was held in Shahdol, Congress leader Ajay Singh Rahul had said in the program that if the ticket selection would be good then the Congress would have 24 seats out of 30 in the Vindhya region. But the way it has happened with me, I was the right hand of the Congress party, I am not saying anything right now as to how many I will dent but I will definitely teach Congress Chief Kamal Nath a lesson in the district," Former MLA Yadvendra Singh told ANI.
"Nath, Congress leader Digvijaya Singh, told me that I should prepare for the poll and that is why I came to Delhi and Bhopal. And then injustice has been done to me in this way. Today, I called everyone but no one picked up my call, therefore I joined BSP," Singh said.
He added that during the last assembly poll in 2018, he lost the election only by 635 votes.
Earlier on Sunday, hours after the Congress released its first list of 144 candidates for the upcoming Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections, Vice President of Congress Media Department Ajay Singh Yadav resigned from his post citing injustice to the people belonging to the backward classes.
Yadav wrote a letter to state Congress President Kamal Nath which read, "Under your (Nath) leadership in Madhya Pradesh, it was always assured that this time the candidates belonging to the backward classes would be given their rights and privileges during the selection. In Tikamgarh district, there are over 70 per cent of the voters from backward classes but people of a particular caste have been made candidates from three assembly constituencies. It is an unfair decision. The number of people from this particular caste is less than two per cent and all three had also lost the last election."
Yadav further alleged that it was an injustice to the people belonging to the backward classes as despite being active members of the party they had been unheard.
"My grandfather, late Thakurdas Yadav, a former MLA spent his entire life in the Congress party. But I'm really disappointed with the injustice that was done today and thus resigning from the post of Vice President of Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee Media Department and PCC delegate from Palera block of Khargapur constituency of Tikamgarh district," he added in his letter.
Congress on Sunday released the first list of 144 candidates for the upcoming Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections, fielding former CM Kamal Nath from Chhindwara.
Madhya Pradesh is scheduled to undergo assembly polls on November 17. Through the polls, the state will elect legislators from 230 Assembly constituencies. The election would be conducted in one phase in the state and the counting would be done on December 3.