BHOPAL: After three electoral defeats and sitting on the sidelines for three years, former leader of opposition Ajay Singh has suddenly become the epicenter of Madhya Pradesh politics.
Three days ago, the political rumour mills went wild after he met state home minister Narottam Mishra at his official residence. The closed-door meeting lasted 45 minutes, but was claimed to be a courtesy call for some personal work.
But on Thursday, Ajay Singh’s birthday celebrations triggered ripples in both the ruling BJP and Congress. Two BJP stalwarts -- Narottam Mishra and BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya -- went to Singh’s office in Bhopal with bouquets to wish him on turning 66.
Ajay Singh is the son of Congress stalwart Arjun Singh. This is the first time in two decades that two prominent BJP leaders walked into a Congress leader’s office to join his birthday celebrations. None of the BJP leaders, however, made any statement on their visit.
Ajay Singh’s birthday party was nothing short of a show of strength. Hundreds of supporters from across the state reached Bhopal on Thursday while Rajya Sabha MP Digvijaya Singh also arrived to wish him, bouquet in hand. Congress MLAs, people’s representatives and party workers thronged Singh’s bungalow, which is a few steps from the state Congress headquarters.
The question doing the rounds is, is there another exodus from Congress in the offing, 19 months after Jyotiraditya Scindia walked out with two dozen loyalists, bringing down the Congress government?
Speaking to TOI, Ajay Singh denied switching loyalties. “I have no issues with my party,” he said.
But on Tuesday, a day after meeting him, Mishra had said: “Ajay Singh’s political legacy is not being properly utilized by the Congress party.”
Reacting to this, Singh had told TOI: “What Narottam Mishra said is his own personal opinion. My party uses me wherever they think I can work. I have no issues with my party.”
A five-time MLA from Churhat in Sidhi district, Singh lost the seat to BJP’s Sharadendu Tiwari in the 2018 elections. He had also lost the Satna Lok Sabha seat to BJP’s Ganesh Singh by 9,000 votes in 2014, and was defeated in Sidhi in the 2019 Lok Sabha election by a margin of 2.8 lakh votes. These three defeats pushed Ajay Singh, once considered a front runner in the state Congress, to the backseat.
The state Congress dismissed these rumours and speculations. PCC spokesman Ajay Singh Yadav said, “Ajay Singh is a senior party leader who has brought lakhs of people to Congress. In the 2023 elections, he will have a major role in the assembly elections. He will not go anywhere. The BJP is just trying to mislead and give a false impression.”
“Even if BJP makes Ajay Singh the Prime Minister, he will not quit Congress and join them. Ajay Singh is an influential leader, which is why Narottam Mishra had to go and wish him on his birthday,” said former minister PC Sharma.
