By Sundeep Pouranik
Bhopal, Sep 22 (IANS): Congress has started working on a fresh strategy to increase the heat on its former Union Minister and current BJP parliamentarian Jyotiraditya Scindia ahead of the by-elections to the Madhya Pradesh Assembly.
Of the 28 assembly seats, 16 are in the Gwalior-Chambal region. Analysts believe both victory and defeat in these areas will have a say on Scindia's political future. The Gwalior-Chambal region is a pocket borough of the Scindias.
The assembly by-elections are being considered as one of the crucial challenges for Scindia since he left Congress and joined the BJP. His move led the Kamal Nath government to collapse, and the saffron party got a chance to regain power in the central Indian state.
To boost its poll prospects against the turncoat in the upcoming elections, Congress leaders close to former party chief Rahul Gandhi could be fielded.
In the last assembly election, the Congress had a huge lead in this area.
Congress sources say that the party has decided to field a team of youth leaders in the election campaign to put Scindia under pressure, including Sachin Pilot, R.P.N. Singh, Jitendra Singh, who are considered close to Rahul Gandhi, could be made star campaigners.
According to sources, the strategy of campaigning has also been discussed during the visit of state Congress President Kamal Nath to Delhi.
Many assembly constituencies in the state have Gurjar voters who could play a key role in deciding the election results. Therefore, Kamal Nath wants Pilot to play a pivotal role in the campaigning for the by-election.
Political analyst Arvind Mishra believes that Sachin Pilot's identity in the Congress is not only as an energetic and straightforward leader, he is also popular among the general public.
After losing Scindia, if the Congress brings a new yet well-known face, it might be effective in curbing Scindia's influence in the by-elections. If Congress succeeds in doing this, the elections will become even more interesting.
Sources associated with the Congress say that new equations are being forged in the politics of Congress in Madhya Pradesh.
Kamal Nath wants only those leaders of the state who are close to him to be put on active mode while leaders of other states close to Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi be called in for campaigning in the state.
Overall, a 'new-look' Congress could be seen in the upcoming assembly by-elections in the state. The party high command has already posted four secretaries for the by-election and they are engaged in grass root strategies.