MP: Jyotiraditya Scindia, BJP MLA cross swords over party's Vijaypur bypoll loss
Bhopal, Nov 30: The BJP's loss in the November 13 Vijaypur bypoll in Madhya Pradesh was at the centre of a war of words after Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Saturday said he would have campaigned had he been called to do so.
BJP general secretary and MLA Bhagwandas Sabnani, in response, said Scindia was invited to campaign but the latter declined citing a busy schedule.
The BJP's Ramniwas Rawat lost to the Congress' Mukesh Malhotra by a margin of 7,364 votes in the Vijaypur assembly bypoll, results of which were declared on November 23.
It was particularly embarrassing for the ruling party as Rawat had quit as Congress MLA and joined the BJP. He was made forest minister in the Mohan Yadav government but failed to get re-elected.
Vijaypur is part of the state's Gwalior-Chambal region, where the Scindias hold considerable sway. The Union minister is MP from Guna in the region.
"We need to contemplate on this. This is a matter of concern. But our vote share has gone up. If I was asked I would have definitely gone (for campaigning)," Scindia told reporters in Gwalior while answering a question on whether the bypoll loss was due to his absence from the campaign.
When asked about this statement, MLA Sabnani told reporters the party leadership had asked Scindia to campaign.
"The state president and other top leaders talked to him. Scindia was in the list of star campaigners. He was invited but he declined due to his busy schedule," Sabnani claimed.
Meanwhile, Congress leaders latched on to Scindia's statement to mock the ruling party.
Leader of Opposition in the assembly Umang Singhar pointed out that the BJP had given respect to Scindia (after he switched sides from the Congress in 2020) and had made him a minister.
Next time the BJP must invite Scindia by sending yellow rice (a traditional way of inviting esteemed guests), Singhar taunted.
Singhar, however, added that Scindia's campaigning would not have had any affect since Vijaypur has always been a Congress bastion.
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Vijay unable to prove majority, not invited for CM oath ceremony: Sources
Chennai: Actor-politician Vijay has reportedly not been invited to take oath as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu after failing to demonstrate support from the required number of MLAs, sources in Raj Bhavan said.
According to media reports that quoted sources in the office of R.N. Ravi Arlekar, Vijay could not prove the backing of 118 legislators, the majority mark in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly.
Despite last-minute efforts to secure support from the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazagam (AMMK), and an IUML legislator, Vijay reportedly managed support from only 116 MLAs, falling short by two members.
Sources said Vijay failed to submit letters of support from the VCK and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML).
Later, the IUML issued a statement clarifying that it was not part of the TVK-led alliance.
Meanwhile, AMMK leader T.T.V. Dhinakaran is also said to have informed the Governor that his party would support the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) instead.
Earlier in the evening, Vijay had met Governor Arlekar and staked claim to form the government, stating that he enjoyed the support of 118 MLAs.
