As Madhya Pradesh minister Yashodhara Raje Scindia announced at a gathering in Shivpuri recently that she will not be contesting the upcoming Assembly elections, political circles have been set abuzz speculating if that move was to make space for her nephew and union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.
Raje, addressing a gathering in Shivpuri on Thursday, said, “I had resolved earlier that I was not going to contest elections. I want to thank you all. In a way, this is my goodbye. I have always tried to follow the footsteps of my mother, Rajmata Raje Scindia. It was with her inspiration that I took this decision. Today I pray to all of you that you all will support me in this decision,” as quoted by The Indian Express.
She also added that time has passed and that the new generation must come forward.
Earlier, in August she had even written to the BJP top leadership that she would not be contesting the upcoming state elections that are due later this year. Yashodhara Raje handles the sports, youth welfare, technical education and skill development and employment ministries in the Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led government.
Although BJP chief V D Sharma has said that Yashodhara is taking a step back due to health issues, there have been speculations in BJP circles about the entry of Jyotiraditya, as Union Ministers are being fielded in the state Assembly elections to beat the perceived “anti-incumbency” against the current government.
In BJP’s second list of candidates for the forthcoming state polls, several union ministers were named. Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar has been fielded from Dimani, Prahlad Patel (Minister of State for Food Processing Industries and Jal Shakti) from Narsingpur and Faggan Singh Kulaste (Minister of State for Rural Development and Steel) from Niwas seat.
Congress-turned-BJP leader Jyotiraditya has not contested the Assembly elections so far. He made his election debut in 2002 when he won in the by-polls, which was necessitated due to the death of his father and senior Congress leader Madhavrao Scindia.
He has been an MP from Guna from 2002-2019. He then defected to the BJP, and became a Rajya Sabha MP.