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The defeat of a Madhya Pradesh minister in an Assembly bypoll last month has prompted political rumblings within the BJP. At the centre of this storm is Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia. Mr Scindia's remark that he was not asked to campaign for state Environment Minister Ramnivas Rawat has drawn a sharp response from a BJP MLA, who has said Mr Scindia had skipped the campaign, citing a busy schedule.
Madhya Pradesh minister Ramniwas Rawat lost the Assembly bypoll in Vijaypur constituency to Congress's Mukesh Malhotra by a margin of over 7,000 votes. Mr Rawat had won the seat in the 2023 election as a Congress candidate, but it was vacated when he switched to the BJP. Losing a seat he won just last year despite the BJP holding a strong majority in the Assembly was a big embarrassment for Mr Rawat.
Responding to his defeat, the four-time MLA said "some people could not digest" his elevation as minister. "Some people thought their position was in danger, people were misled. The core BJP team was provoked and told that if I won, their chances would be ruined. Some people could not accept my growing stature," he said, without naming anyone.
The BJP's campaign in Vijaypur to shore up support for Mr Rawat saw several top party leaders. But Union minister and one of the most prominent Madhya Pradesh politicians Jyotiraditya Scindia was missing. When Mr Scindia was asked about the defeat of the state minister, he replied, "We will need to introspect. If I had been asked to, I would have surely gone (to campaign)," he told the media.
The remark drew a rebuttal from within the party. BJP MLA Bhagwandas Sabnani said Mr Scindia had been asked to campaign and his name was also on the star campaigners list. "The leadership had asked him. The Chief Minister (Mohan Yadav) and state party chief (VD Sharma) were present. He was also among the star campaigners. But he said he won't be able to come because he was busy."
When Mr Scindia was approached again and told about Mr Sabnani's remark, he refused to comment further and said he did not want to get into a "statement vs statement" match.
Ramnivas Rawat was once considered to be very close to the Scindia family. However, in 2020, when a rebellion led by Mr Scindia toppled the Kamal Nath government in Madhya Pradesh, Mr Rawat did not follow Mr Scindia into the BJP. He joined the BJP in 2024 through Chief Minister Mohan Yadav. Mr Scindia was also missing at the time of his joining. In earlier elections that Mr Rawat contested as a Congress candidate, Mr Scindia campaigned for him. But not this time.