Catching 22

Rajvardhan Singh Dattigaon

A marketing manager with Lufthansa in the mid 1990s, he left the job to contest his first election as an Independent. He said he entered politics to avenge the “insult” to his father, who was denied a ticket by the Congress in 1998. His father Premsingh was a loyalist of Madhavrao Scindia and the legacy has continued. Elected MLA for the third time in 2018, Dattigaon had hoped for a ministerial berth, but he did not get it. He also could not reconcile with the fact that his rival in the party Umang Singhar was named minister and so was Digvijaya Singh’s son Jaivardhan, much younger than him. “One who puts up with injustice is more guilty than the perpetrator,’’ Dattigaon said in a video posted from Bengaluru.

Profession: Agriculture & business
Education: Postgraduate
2018 victory margin: 51,506 votes

Hardeep Dang I 52
MLA from Suvasara (Mandsaur)

Hardeep Dang

He was the only Congress candidate to win in the 2018 polls from Mandsaur district, the epicentre of the farmers’ unrest and won with a thin margin. He went missing on March 3 along with nine others, including five Congress legislators. While eight of them returned, he remained incommunicado along with Raghuraj Kansana. The two remained in Bengaluru and 17 Congress legislators later joined them. Dang was the first to send in his resignation letter, accusing Chief Minister Kamal Nath of not giving him audience. He began as a sarpanch and was elected MLA for the second time in 2018. He was among the confidants of former Mandsaur MP Meenakshi Natarajan but when she was sidelined, he was left with no mentor and recently expressed loyalty to Scindia.

Profession: Family business
Education: Postgraduate
2018 victory margin: 350 votes

Bisahulal Singh I 69
MLA from Anuppur (ST) (Anuppur)

Bisahulal Singh

The tribal leader has been a minister and was hopeful of getting a berth in the Kamal Nath ministry when he was elected for the fifth time in 2018. He was among three Congress legislators who stayed put in Bengaluru before Tourism Minister Surendra Baghel went there and escorted him to Indore airport, where a state plane was waiting for him. He was brought to Bhopal and taken to the CM’s residence. After coming out, he expressed faith in Kamal Nath and admitted that he was unhappy because he was not made a minister. “I have been with the Congress for four decades, will I join BJP in budhapa?,’’ he asked. A few days later, however, he joined the BJP.

Profession: Hotel business and agriculture
Education: Graduate
2018 victory margin: 11,561 votes

Aidal Singh Kansana I 60
MLA from Sumaoli (Morena)

Aidal Singh Kansana

His supporters were so angry after he did not get a ministerial post that they blocked traffic on a highway and burnt tyres. Though the Congress won all six seats in the Morena district, none of the MLAs got a ministerial berth. Kansana belonged to the Digvijaya Singh faction and was a minister in his cabinet. He cecame a dissident after he was denied a ministerial berth in the Kamal Nath government despite winning for the fourth time. He was never part of the Scindia camp.

Profession: Business and agriculture
Education: Class VIII pass
2018 victory margin: 13,661 votes

Ranveer Jatav I 35
MLA from Gohad (SC) (Bhind)

Ranveer Jatav

He defeated senior BJP minister Lal Singh Arya in the 2018 polls. The young politician had earlier defeated Arya in a bypoll held after the murder of his father and sitting MLA Makhanlal in 2009. Arya was an accused in the murder case. Jatav lost the next election to Arya. He was earlier in the Digvijaya Singh camp, but later shifted allegiance to Scindia. A few months ago, he had accused two ministers of corruption and was frustrated that his works were not being done.

Profession: Agriculture
Education: Class XII pass
2018 victory margin: 23,989 votes

Kamlesh Jatav I 39
MLA from Ambah (SC) (Morena)

Kamlesh Jatav

The first timer was among those who went in the first batch to the Gurugram hotel. He did not go to Bengaluru and returned to Bhopal. A Scindia loyalist, he too had accused two ministers of corruption and said they did not give him due importance. He had recommended transfer of a government employee, alleging that he was demanding bribes, but the transfer did not happen.

Profession: Contractor
Education: Graduate
2018 victory margin: 7,628 votes

Raghuraj Kansana I 52
MLA from Morena

Raghuraj J Kansana

In his first state election in 2018, Kansana defeated former IPS officer and BJP Minister Rustam Singh. A key factor behind his victory was the caste tension in the region after the Supreme Court order on SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The BSP vote had then transferred to the Congress. Apart from a CBI raid last year, he has faced a lot of legal woes. Besides Dang, he was the only MLA who stayed put in Bengaluru. “Scindiaji was being harassed and ignored. We will remain with him,” he had said in a video posted from Bengaluru.

Profession: Advocate and agriculture
Education:0 M.A. LLB
2018 victory margin: 20,849 votes

Munnalal Goyal I 61
MLA from Gwalior (East)

Munnalal Goyal

In January, he embarrassed the Kamal Nath government by holding a dharna near the Assembly building in Bhopal, saying that the government is not able to fulfill the promises made to voters. He had claimed that he was not unhappy with the CM or any minister, but wanted promises made in the manifesto to be fulfilled. He admitted that he owed everything to Scindia, who reportedly ensured he got a ticket for the election in 2008, 2013 and 2018.

Profession: Business
Education: Graduate
2018 victory margin: 17,819 votes

O P S Bhadoriya I 51
MLA from Mehgaon (Bhind)

O P S Bhadoriya

A staunch Scindia supporter, he lost the 2013 state polls by a narrow margin of 1,273 votes but defeated senior BJP leader Rakesh Shukla in the 2018 polls. He attributes his ticket and victory to “Shrimant Scindia”. He said Scindia helped Congress win six bypolls but he was being sidelined. Bhadoriya said Scindia did not say anything wrong when he said he would take to the streets if promises were not kept. Referring to Chief Minister Kamal Nath’s “let him be’’ retort, he said it was insulting to Scindia. “I will be with him till the last breath,’’ he has said.

Profession: Agriculture
Education: Postgraduate
2018 victory margin: 25,814 votes

Giriraj Dandotiya I 47
MLA from Dimni (Morena)

Giriraj Dandotiya

He lost his first election in 2008 but defeated the same BJP candidate 10 years later. Attributing his victory and that of many others to Scindia, he said, “It hurt that he could not become CM. Then Congress did not make him PCC chief and even denied him a Rajya Sabha berth. Such a grave insult. Digvijaya Singh and Govind Singh (Minister) kept interfering in our region, we requested the CM to intervene but he did not listen.’’ Slamming Digvijaya Singh, he said the senior Congress leader managed to make his son and nephew ministers.

Profession: Agriculture
Education: Graduate
2018 victory margin: 18,477 votes

Brijendra Singh Yadav I 50
MLA from Mungaoli (Ashoknagar district)

Brijendra Singh Yadav

In the 2018 state polls, he defeated K P Yadav, who later became a giant killer by defeating Jyotiraditya Scindia in the 2019 general election. He won by a margin of only 2,136 in December 2018, just 13 more than his victory margin in a by-election for the same seat in February. “He (Scindia) is our leader. We can’t remain in the party where our leader is insulted,’’ he said in a video shot in Bengaluru.

Profession: Agriculture
Education: Class VII pass
2018 victory margin: 2,136 votes

Suresh Dhakad I 57
MLA from Pohari (Shivpuri)

Suresh Dhakad D

He began his political career by winning a sarpanch election but became a legislator in his first state polls in 2018. A Scindia loyalist, he said, “I was a sevak of Shrimant Maharaj saab, I am one and will remain so. We got votes in his name. All the times we went to meet the CM, we were not given any importance. A government can’t run like this.’’ Prahlad Bharati of the BJP, who Dhakad defeated in 2018, said “people voted for him because they thought Scindia will become CM’’.

Profession: Agriculture
Education: Class VII pass
2018 victory margin: 7,918 votes

Jajpal Singh ‘Jajji” I 58
MLA from Ashoknagar (SC)

Jajpal Singh ‘Jajji”

“Whatever I am today is because of Shrimant Maharaj Scindia. Membership of assembly is a very small thing, I think we have got an opportunity to resign (to repay his debt). I consider myself fortunate. I will always be with him,’’ he said in a video posted from Bengalure. He ran into trouble a few months ago when his caste certificate became a subject of litigation.

Profession: Agriculture
Education: Graduate
2018 victory margin: 9,730 votes

Manoj Chaudhary I 44
MLA from Hatpiplya (Dewas)

Manoj Chaudhary

“Was always with him and will remain forever. Whatever he decides will be good for us. Maharajsaab has not been treated well,’’ he said. He began his career in student politics and went on to become office-bearer of NSUI. His father was a supporter of Digvijaya Singh and he gravitated towards Scindia only ahead of the last assembly election.

Profession: Business and Agriculture
Education: Postgraduate
2018 victory margin: 13,519 votes

Jasmant Jatav I 52
MLA from Karera (SC) (Shivpuri)

Jasmant Jatav

He began as a sarpanch and was elected as MLA in his first election. “Constant attempt was made to cut Scindia to size and to insult him by the Kamal Nath government. It’s a failure of the top leadership of the Congress. We will give a befitting reply. People who are not capable of getting elected as councilor are trying to target him. The Congress government was formed because of Scindia’s sacrifice and commitment,’’ he said in a video.

Profession: Agriculture
Education: Class XII
2018 victory margin: 14,824 votes

Raksha Santram Sarauniya I 46
MLA from Bhander (SC) (Datia)

Raksha Santram Sarauniya

Her husband is a teacher and father-in-law was a legislator. She was elected in her first election. “Wherever Maharaj goes I will go. Whatever I am today is because of him. I will walk in his footsteps,’’ she said from Bengaluru.

Profession: Agriculture
Education: Class VIII pass
2018 victory margin: 39,896 votes

The Ministers

Mahendra Singh Sisodiya I 57
Labour Minister and MLA from Bamori (Guna)

Mahendra Singh Sisodiya

He was the first to sound a warning bell after the initial attempt to destabilise the government appeared to have failed. After eight out of 10 MLAs returned in early March to the Congress, he said the government will be safe as long as Scindia is not given the short shrift. “The government was formed with Scindia’s efforts. I had warned that dark clouds will gather if Scindiaji is ignored,” he said in a video posted from Bengaluru.

Profession: Agriculture
Education: BSc (Second year)
2018 victory margin: 27,920 votes

Tulsiram Silawat I 55
Health and Family Welfare minister and MLA from Sanver (SC) (Indore)

Tulsiram Silawat

Silawat was elected councillor in 1982 and MLA in 1985. He won three more assembly elections — in 2007 (bypoll), 2008 and 2018. He is a trusted lieutenant of Scindia and part of the group involved in organising his election campaigns. He camped in Guna ahead of the 2019 general election. “Will remain with Paramshraddhey Scindiaji no matter where he goes,” he said in a video shared from Bengaluru.

Profession: Agriculture
Education: Post Graduate
2018 victory margin: 2,945 votes

Govind Singh Rajput I 58
Transport Minister and MLA from Surkhi (Sagar district)

Govind Singh Rajput

He was always with the Congress and is a staunch follower of Jyotiraditya Scindia. When he was not seen at a Scindia event last year there was speculation that all was not well and that he was no longer in the good books of the former Union minister. He was made general secretary of the state Congress committee in 2002. Rajput was elected MLA for the first time in 2003 and went on to win in 2008 and 2018.

Profession: Agriculture
Education: Postgraduate
2018 victory margin: 21,418 votes

Imarti Devi I 44
Women and Child Development Minister and MLA from Dabra (Gwalior)

Imarti Devi

She wears her loyalty to Scindia on her sleeve. “Whatever I am today is because of Shrimant Maharaj,” she says. “If he asks me to jump into a well, I will do it. Wherever Maharaj is, I will be there. I was an MLA (from Congress) for 10 years during the BJP rule but we did not fare as badly as during the Congress rule.” She was first elected to the Assembly in 2008 and won again in 2013 and 2018.
Profession Agriculture
Education Class XII pass
2018 victory margin 57,446 votes

Dr Prabhuram Chaudhary I 61
School Education minister and MLA from Sanchi (Raisen)

Dr Prabhuram Chaudhary

Chaudhary became MLA for the first time in 1985 and owed his ticket to Jyotiraditya Scindia’s father Madhavrao. After Madhavrao’s death, he became a follower of his son. His second victory came in 2008 and the third in 2018. An alumnus of Gandhi Medical College, Bhopal, he was always with Congress and became a member of state Congress committee in 1991.

Profession: Agriculture, owns a petrol pump
Education: MBBS
2018 victory margin: 10,813 votes

Pradyumna Singh Tomar I 52
Food and Civil Supplies Minister and MLA from Gwalior

Pradyumna Singh Tomar

Tomar began his political career in 1984 and was always with Congress. Elected MLA for the first time in 2008, he was re-elected in 2018. “I owe everything to him. It’s my moral duty to be with him (Scindia). Whatever he is doing is for the development of the Gwalior-Chambal belt and other regions of the state,” he said in a video posted from Bengaluru.

Profession: Business
Education: Graduate
2018 victory margin: 21,044 votes