NEW DELHI
The announcement of Rakeh Singh, a sitting BJP MP from Jabalpur, as a candidate for assembly elections has made Jabalpur West a high-profile seat in Madhya Pradesh as he is being fielded from the seat. Rakesh Singh will face a tough fight against Congress’ Tarun Bhanot, the incumbent MLA who served as a finance minister in the Kamal Nath-led Congress government in 2018.
Jabalpur West Constituency is one of the eight Assembly constituencies located in the Jabalpur district. In the 2018 assembly elections, out of 4 urban seats, the BJP lost 3 seats, including the Jabalpur West seat. To change the scenario, the BJP made a smart move by nominating incumbent MP Rakesh Singh to contest against sitting MLA Tarun Bhanot.
The move by the BJP is to encash the influential power and popularity of Rakesh Singh, a four-time MP from the Jabalpur constituency. The central leadership has placed its faith in Rakesh Singh, hoping his mobilisation efforts will also influence the voters in neighbouring seats, as in the 2018 election, the BJP lost 3 out of 4 urban seats in Jabalpur district. However, they have also won 3 seats out of 4 rural seats in the district.
Since the BJP has fielded Rakesh Singh for the election, it has become crucial for him to win this seat and prove its influencing ability, mobilising power, political supremacy, and legacy, although he is contesting the Assembly election for the first time. A political analyst from Jabalpur said, “If MPs contest the Vidhan Sabha election, then they have to face a stronger battle, especially in Congress’ dominant seat. Winning the Vidhan Sabha election in Madhya Pradesh is way tougher than winning the Lok Sabha poll, as both produce different types of problems.”
Amitesh Trivedi, a resident of Jabalpur West constituency, said, “Rakesh Singh is a wonderful MP, but I doubt whether he will be an equally good MLA, as Rakesh Singh has never fought an Assembly election. Going door-to-door with folded hands and seeking votes won’t be easy for him or other top leaders who have been fielded in the state Assembly election by the BJP as in reality, Rakesh Singh has no idea what kind of public relations a corporator or an MLA must keep up.”
Digya Sinha, another voter of Jabalpur West constituency, said, “This time Traun Bhanot will experience a tough fight as his opponent is a four-time-winning MP, but the development work done by Tarun Bhanot gave him a cushion to have a better chance of winning again”.
Looking back at the electoral history of Jabalpur West Constituency The constituency had a stronghold in Congress until 1990. But since Jaishree Banerjee clinched the seat, it remained a BJP stronghold until 2013, when Tarun Bhanot brought it back into the Congress fold. Jaishree Banerjee won the seat twice, Harendrajeet Singh three times, and Tarun Bhanot twice since 1990. In the last election, the BJP’s candidate, Harendrajeet Singh, got 63,676 votes, which was 41.14% of the total votes polled. While his opponent, Congress Candidate Tarun Bhanot got 82,359 votes, which was 53.21% of the total votes polled. He won the poll by a big margin of 18,683 votes. The total voting percentage in the constituency in 2018 was 67.71%.