The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is likely to announce its fifth list of candidates for the upcoming Madhya Pradesh Assembly election next week.
The list could be its most ‘explosive’ to date.

When asked about the list, Home Minister Narottam Mishra declared, “List dhamakedar hee hogi. Aage dhamake hee dhamake hone wale hain, Diwali ka tyohar aane wala hai, (List will be explosive… expect fireworks… Diwali is ahead),” NDTV reported.

The ruling party has already ended speculation about the electoral prospects of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and a significant number of ministers and sitting lawmakers in the fourth list, with a total of 136 candidates named so far. However, the Madhya Pradesh Assembly has 230 seats, which implies that the BJP has around 94 more decisions to make.

Also Read: MP Election 2023: BJP makes room for all ‘Scindia men’ amid rift with Shivraj Chouhan

According to sources in the party’s state unit, as many as 25 to 30 sitting MLAs may be dropped from the list due to public dissatisfaction in their constituencies.

“The party feels that nearly half of these incumbent legislators will not be able to win their seats. New faces may be given tickets,” a senior BJP leader explained, as reported by the Times of India.

The announcement of the fifth list is expected to coincide with the Navratri season, commencing this Sunday. This strategic timing aims to prevent protests from leaders who may not receive tickets, as they will likely be occupied with festival celebrations.

Also Read: MP Election 2023: Ex-BJP lawmaker wants ticket for son – ‘Yadav community maybe discontent’

One of the uncertain questions pertains to the political future of nine ministers closely aligned with Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, who left the Congress in 2020. Speculation continues about whether Scindia himself will be named as a candidate.

Jyotiraditya Scindia, currently serving as the Civil Aviation Minister and a Rajya Sabha MP, has never contested a state election.

His potential candidature aligns with the BJP’s tactic for this round of elections, which involves fielding prominent candidates, including Union Ministers and MPs with strong local connections, in each state.

Also Read: Madhya Pradesh Election 2023: Full list of BJP candidates and constituencies

It’s worth noting that Scindia’s candidacy became a topic of discussion following his aunt, Yashodhara Raje Scindia’s decision not to contest this election, citing health reasons.

Yashodhara Raje Scindia, Madhya Pradesh’s Sports Minister, has fought Covid-19 multiple times since the beginning of the pandemic. Her nephew might contest from her Shivpuri seat or any of the other two seats in Guna-Bamori or Kolaras. All three are located in the Lok Sabha segment of Guna, which Jyotiraditya Scindia represented from 2002 to 2014.

Meanwhile, the Congress and the BJP have engaged in verbal exchanges over their respective candidate lists. Home Minister Narottam Mishra criticised the Congress for questioning the BJP’s list, saying, “Congress has no right to question our list. There is no trace of their own… so better if they don’t say anything.”

On the other hand, the Congress’ national spokesperson, Ragini Nayak, pointed to “internal factionalism in the BJP” and suggested that the BJP might be eagerly waiting for the Congress list. She noted that former Chief Minister Kamal Nath had stated that 140 names were finalised, but the list will not be released during Shraddh Paksh.

Madhya Pradesh is all set for a single-phase election on November 17, with results expected to be declared on December 3.