BJP NATIONAL general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya is preparing for the unexpected Assembly election he finds himself in, armed with fistfuls of mithai. Party workers gathered at a Dussehra Milan event in Indore’s Mahavir Bagh Wednesday are greeted personally by the 67-year-old with a sweet placed in their mouths.
The six-time MLA knows the virtue of patience, as he feeds the swelling sea of workers, listens to their salutations and grievances, even cracks a joke with some familiar faces.
Now, he needs this forbearance more than ever. After the BJP named Vijayvargiya along with three Union ministers and four MPs for the Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections, the 67-year-old admitted he was “shocked and confused”. Some of it presumably linked to the fact that the ticket to him closed the door on his son, Akash, the sitting MLA from Indore-3.
Vijayvargiya seems to have reconciled since. The leader credited with playing a crucial role in the BJP’s victories in Haryana and its rise in West Bengal is now plotting his own and, via that, reclaiming the Malwa Nimar region for the party.
Whoever holds sway in the region’s 66 seats – from Indore to the south-west portions of the state adjoining Rajasthan and Gujarat – generally goes on to form the government. In 2013, the BJP had won 57 seats in the region. But in 2018, when the Congress won a thin majority, 36 of the 66 seats went to the party. The BJP won 28.
“Tum to thehre pardeshi”
While Vijayvargiya clearly hopes his feats will carry him through, sitting Indore-1 MLA Sanjay Shukla of the Congress says he is not intimidated, calling the BJP leader a guest and positioning himself as the son of Indore.
Scoffing at this, Vijayvargiya says to The Indian Express: “I have been the mayor of Indore, a six-time MLA. If he (Shukla) doesn’t know that I am from Indore, there can’t be bigger ignorance.” He adds that the Congress won’t cross the 75 mark in the 230-member Assembly.
Vijayvargiya’s campaign began with a video of him singing ‘Ye desh hai veer jawano ka’, with ‘Congress workers’ shown as looking on from another stage, and barely able to stop joining in for a dance.
He has indicated that his larger political ambitions remain intact. “I have not come to just become an MLA. I will get other important responsibilities from the party,” Vijayvargiya says at events, while continuing his attacks on the Congress over the Sanatan Dharma controversy.
He says it won’t be fun if he wins by a mere 500-1,000 votes. “I am a horse that runs the more you feed it,” he says, adding that he enjoys the faith of both the party workers and public. “People have seen my work, that’s why they trust me.”
Around 3 km away, at Shakti Nagar temple, Shukla’s Jan Sabha is a rather quiet affair compared to the pomp and show of Vijayvargiya’s gathering. Sitting on the ground, Shukla is having puris, politely declining offers to have more.
This down-to-earth demeanour and personal connect with voters are Shukla’s USP. Before Vijayvargiya was given the ticket, he had touched the elder BJP leader’s feet when sharing the stage with him.
“There is no challenge,” Shukla insists. “I am the son of Indore. I have served for 5 years. I’m sadness and happiness… Beta hi jitega, neta nahin (The son will win, not the politician).”
The Congress van in the area constantly blares out the Bollywood hit ‘Tum toh thehre pardesi, saath kya nibhaoge (You are a stranger, how long will you be around)’. Shukla says: “I am not denying that he (Vijayvargiya) was the mayor of Indore… But in Indore-1, there has not been any development, all the development has come after my term.”
He is hoping the focus on hyperlocal issues clicks, and recently sought a halt to Indore’s nightlife. On this stand that generated some stir, he says: “After 12, nothing should remain open. Children should stay inside their homes, there should be no night culture.”
Shukla adds that the fact that the BJP has fielded heavyweights shows its nervousness. “The BJP has not done any development in the 20 years (of its rule) in this state. They only speak about religion and not development.”
“Shuklaji” popular, but so is BJP
In the Banganga area, most residents have their own Sanjay Shukla story. Shyam Solanki, 70, a tailor, admires “Shuklaji” for how approachable he is. “He passes by my shop and greets me every morning.” But, he adds: “We are Sanghi. My mindset won’t change. My vote will always be for the BJP.”
Deepak Kashyap, 29, a cement factory worker also talks about how Shukla is always available. “He is called by residents over civic issues and he turns up. He helps the poor.” But his friend Shubham Solanki reminds him of Vijayvargiya’s “very good track record”.
At Kamal Nehru market, Deepika Namdeo, 36, a mother of two and vegetable vendor, also talks of Indore’s “development” under the BJP leader. “It’s time for Indore-1 to also develop.”
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In Sunder Nagar area, Nilesh Mishra and Arun Raghuvanshi, who are part of the Congress’s “silent campaign”, spreading the word on Shukla’s works, don’t need much convincing when it comes to Anil Solanki, the owner of a cloth shop. Anil nods in agreement as they say, “Remember 10 years ago when you did not have a borewell? Those days are gone.”
Congress workers have been similarly talking of the piped water of Narmada reaching their homes, and Shukla ensuring that alcohol shops did not open in colonies.
At Satya Sai Baba colony, Anil Solanki, 32, an auto driver, says that while he himself has not benefited, it’s important to have a local leader as representative. “If Vijayvargiya wins, will we go to Indore-2 or Delhi to meet him?”