BHOPAL: Big names who lost the 2018 assembly polls or 2019 Lok Sabha polls could well be fielded by the Congress to take on Jyotiraditya Scindia loyalists turncoats in the MP Assembly by-elections to 24 constituencies. According to sources within the Congress, two old warhorses, including former Leader of Opposition (LoP) Ajay Singh ‘Rahul’ and former MP minister Ram Niwas Rawat (who has been close to Jyotiraditya Scindia in the past) could be fielded by the Kamal Nath-led Madhya Pradesh Congress in coming assembly by-polls against Scindia loyalist BJP candidates.
While Singh had suffered surprise defeat against BJP’s Shardendu Tiwari from pocket-borough Churhat in 2018 assembly elections, he was a loser in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls against sitting BJP MP Riti Pathak from Sidhi seat.
While Singh could be fielded from Surkhi seat in Sagar district to take on Scindia loyalist BJP minister Govind Singh Rajput, Ram Niwas Rawat (who lost 2018 assembly polls from pocket borough Vijaypur and 2019 LS polls from Morena) might be fielded either from Pohari seat of Shivpuri district. Rawat has recently toured Pohari constituency and met some disgruntled BJP leaders, including a former MLA.
The poll managers are also toying with the idea of fielding former MP Meenakshi Natrajan (who is seen as Rahul Gandhi’s close confidant).