Neta kids in the forefront of campaign for dads in Lok Sabha polls

Bhopal: In a sharp contrast to campaigning for the 29 Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh, a common thread binding at least three high-profile constituencies going for polls in the third phase of polling in the state on May 7 is that the next-gen is spearheading the campaign for their dad who are locked in a keen contest from Vidisha, Guna and Rajgarh seats.
Former chief minister and BJP leader Shivraj Singh Chouhan is contesting from Vidisha while Union minister and BJP leader Jyotiraditya Scindia is contesting from his native constituency in Guna and former chief minister and Congress leader Digvijaya Singh is locked in a keen contest with sitting BJP MP Rodmal Nagar in Rajgarh.
In Vidisha, a traditionally saffron seat that has elected veterans like former PM late Atal Bihari Vajpayee and late Sushama Swaraj and Shivraj Singh Chouhan for five-terms in the past, this time Shivraj’s son Kartikeya is managing his dad’s campaign while Scindia’s son Mahaaryaman is sweating it out in Guna and Digvijaya’s son and former minister Jaivardhan Singh is leading poll strategy in Rajgarh.
From making emotional appeals to people to reminding voters the works done by their fathers to energising party workers, the leaders’ sons are doing it all to ensure their father’s victory.
Former MP CM, Shivraj Singh Chouhan has represented Vidisha LS seat five times between 1991 and 2004. After 20 years, he is back in the Lok Sabha poll race after being named party candidate by BJP. While Kartikeya is taking care of the campaign and day-to-day affairs in Vidisha, Shivraj has been able to get time to move out of the constituency and campaign for other BJP candidates. Kartikeya is moving across the constituency and connecting with the masses and even finalising the poll strategy for Shivraj.
Kartikeya is also taking part in the organizational meet at the grass root level in the constituency, meeting party workers and focusing on increasing the voting percentage. Vidisha LS seat is a BJP bastion and BJP wants to increase its voting percentage, believing that it would help the former CM in getting a big lead. Kartikeya is not new to Vidisha and is well versed with the voters and their issues.
In Guna, Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia's son Mahanaaryaman is the lead campaigner. He is visiting temples, interacting with common voters at tea stalls and markets, visiting villagers’ homes to understand the mood of voters and garner support for his father. He is also interacting with the youth in different villages in the constituency to get first-hand information on the concerns of the voters.
Jyotiraditya Scindia represented Guna LS seat for four-times since 2002 when he was named as Congress candidate after the death of his father and senior leader Madhavrao Scindia. However, in one of the biggest upsets of the 2019 LS polls, Scindia lost to BJP candidate KP Yadav. Scindia joined BJP in 2020 and is contesting from BJP hoping to stage a comeback with a huge margin. His son is leaving no stone unturned to ensure that the target is achieved.
In Rajgarh, from where Congress heavyweight Digvijaya Singh his son Jaivardhan Singh, a third term MLA from Raghogarh assembly constituency in the area, is leading the campaign. From booth management to coordination of party workers, he is doing it all to make sure his father wins by a substantial margin. Digvijaya is back in Rajgarh Lok Sabha seat after almost three decades when he represented the seat and had quit after being named state chief minister in 1993. He contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from Bhopal seat but lost to Pragya Thakur of BJP by a huge margin.
Jaivardhan, who has already contested the assembly elections successfully in November 2023, already has a team on the ground that understands the area, voters mood and their issues. Digvijaya Singh and his son are also making emotional pitches to the voters and reminding them about their deep rooted connection with the people of the area and seeking their support.