On 4th November (Saturday), the Madhya Pradesh Congress functionary announced that the state unit has expelled 39 leaders from the party’s primary membership for six years. According to the party functionary, they have been expelled for contesting the upcoming state assembly elections against the party’s official candidates.
According to a release issued by the party’s state vice-president Rajiv Singh, these 39 leaders were expelled from the Congress on the directives of the party’ state unit chief Kamal Nath.
The release added that these expelled leaders are contesting elections either as independent candidates or on the ticket of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
A few of the prominent names expelled from the Congress party’s primary membership include former MP Premchand Guddu (Alot), former MLA Antar Singh Darbar (Mhow), former MLA Yadvendra Singh (Nagod), state party spokesman Ajay Singh Yadav (Khargapur), Nasir Islam (Bhopal North) and Amir Aqueel (Bhopal North).
The development comes at a time when Congress is at loggerheads with one of its major alliance partners in the I.N.D.I. bloc. The discord which has only worsened with each passing day erupted after disputes arose over the seat-sharing formula in the poll-bound state. Initially, Congress and its I.N.D.I. alliance partner Samajwadi Party were reportedly in talks that the latter could be given six seats to contest in the state elections. However, when Congress announced candidates on assembly constituencies of sitting SP MLAs in MP, a war of words erupted with SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav accusing Congress of ‘betrayal’.
Targeting the Congress party, Former UP CM Yadav asserted that Congress is demanding a nationwide caste census only for political benefit. He remarked that the fact that Congress is now requesting a caste census is a ‘miracle.’ The former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister emphasised that the grand old party has come to the realisation that voters in backward areas do not support them.
Apart from verbal exchanges and jibes, SP also fielded its candidates on 31 assembly seats in Madhya Pradesh adding woes to its “alliance” partner Congress.
Voting in Madhya Pradesh will take place a fortnight later on 17th November for the 230-seat Madhya Pradesh assembly while the result will be announced on 3rd December.
