Congress young tribal face to become BJP’s 'bahu’

BHOPAL: They say `Love knows no bounds’. But the two leading political parties in Madhya Pradesh are yet to recover from shock after news reached that Congress party’s young woman tribal face and candidate for a Lok Sabha bypoll in November last year, Himadri Singh, is all set to become the BJP’s “bahu”.
Himadri is the 29-year-old daughter of two Congress deceased MPs Daljit Singh and Rajesh Nandini Singh.She got engaged on June 8 and will marry BJP government’s Scheduled Tribes Commission chairman Narendra Singh Marawi on November 23. Moreover, fiance Narendra Singh Marawi was BJP candidate from Shahdol Lok Sabha seat in 2009 opposite the would-be-bride’s mother and Congress candidate Rajesh Nandini Singh.
Narendra Singh Marawi lost by 13,415 votes to Rajesh Nandini Singh that election. Speaking to TOI, Narendra Singh Marawi said, “I contested the polls against Himadri’s mother in 2009 and lost. That time, it did not even cross my mind that I would get married to Himadri. She lost her father at a very early age and then her mother passed away in May last year. Six months later, she was the Congress’ candidate for the Lok Sabha polls.”
Groom Narendra Marawi (39) is a mechanical engineer from a college in Vidisha. He was Anuppur district president for the BJYM (Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha – the BJP’s youth wing) and a member of the district panchayat. Presently, he heads the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government’s ST Commission. “I am a BJP worker and will remain so for the rest of my life,” he said.
After marriage, will Himadri Singh switch loyalties to the BJP? “Don’t look at it this way. Every girl gets married,” she pleaded. “My father and mother worked for the Congress party. Ever since childhood, I have only seen the Congress party around me. But after mother’s death, my guardians decided that I have to get married. It was a family decision and a totally arranged marriage. Politics will not be a hindrance in our marital life,” Himadri said over telephone.
She was the face of the Shahdol Lok Sabha bypolls and pitted against a sitting BJP minister Gyan Singh. Though Gyan Singh won the November 2016 bypoll by 60000 votes, Himadri had managed to reduce the BJP’s 2014 margin by 1,60,000 votes. She was being seen as the Congress gen-next in Madhya Pradesh being a graduate girl from the tribal community with the political legacy of her father and mother. It was widely known that ruling BJP had tried to bring her into the saffron fold but failed she wanted to remain with the political party her parents worked for.
The BJP is stunned to know that love has done what political allurement failed to get. Asked what will be Himadri Singh’s political loyalties now, she said, “No change, I will work for the Congress party and do exactly what the party High Command tells me.” Will her BJP leader husband accept her working with the Congress? Narendra Marawi said, “The decision will be Himadri’s if she wants to continue working for the Congress party. I will not interfere.”