The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)
Digvijaya to power of 4: MP leader displays muscle with kin
Thoseintheraceincludeseasonedsonjaivardhan, brotherlakshman, nephewpriyavrat, anddistantrelativeajaysingh
Withtheannouncementofthe first list of Congress candidates in Madhya Pradesh, the BJP has trained its guns on former chief minister Digvijaya Singh, pointing out that four of his family members have got tickets.
BJP president V D Sharma says: “Digvijaya Singh’s whole familyisinthelist. Thecongress guarantee in Madhya Pradesh is one of dynastic politics.”
Congress spokesperson K K Mishracounters, saying“thebjp has also given tickets to family members of sitting MLAS”.
The four from Digvijaya’s family in the race:
JAIVARDHAN SINGH, 37
Digvijaya’s son Jaivardhan is focusingonscindiastrongholds in the Gwalior-chambal region. He was recently credited with bringing some Scindia loyalists back to the Congress.
Adoonschoolandcolumbia University alumni, Jaivardhan enteredpoliticsin2013whenhe won the Raghogarh Assembly seat by over 59,000 votes, the highest for all Congress candidates. He retained the seat in 2018 by over 64,000 votes, and wasaministerintheshort-lived Kamal Nath government.
LAKSHMAN SINGH, 68
Digvijaya’s younger brother is a three-time MLA. Known for hisoutspokenandcontroversial statements, he has often criticised his own party’s decisions and strategies. The incumbent Mlafromchachoura, Lakshman faces a three-way fight.
The Singhs were born into the erstwhile Raghogarh royal family and their father Balbhadra Singh was an MLA.
Lakshmanbeganhispolitical career by winning the family seatraghogarhin1990. Hewon
PTI the seat again in 1993 when his brother Digvijaya became the CM. In 1993, Lakshman won a Lok Sabha bypoll from Rajgarh.
In2004, Lakshmanswitched overandwontherajgarhseaton a BJP ticket. He remained in the BJP till 2010, when he was expelledforspeakingagainstthen party president Nitin Gadkari.
In 2018, he returned to the state and won from Chachoura.
PRIYAVRAT SINGH, 45
Digvijaya’s nephew is currently the MLA from Khilchipur. Hehailsfromtheerstwhileroyal family of Khilchipur.
Priyavrat has spent his politicalcareerinthecongress, starting out as a zilla panchayat memberin1998attheageof 21. His first Assembly election was from Khilchipur in 2003, which he won with a huge margin. He becameapopularfaceduetohis development initiatives, and was re-elected in 2008. He lost theassemblypollsin2013tothe BJP’S Kunwar Hajarilal Dangi. In 2018, after he won back
Khilchipur, hewasmadeenergy Minister by Kamal Nath.
AJAY SINGH ‘RAHUL’, 68
Ajaysingh‘rahul’, thesonof the late Congress heavyweight and ex-union minister Arjun Singh, is married to Digvijaya’s niece. Though not a blood relative, Ajayisknownasaconfidant of Digvijaya.
Ajay started his political career in 1985, when he won the bypoll from the Churhat Assembly seat, which was vacatedbyhisfather. Heretainedit in 1991, but lost it to the BJP in 1993. He regained it in 1998 and served as a minister in Digvijaya Singh’s Cabinet. He won the seat againin2003,2008and2013, but losttothebjpin2018.
Ajay has a strong base in the Vindhya region, especially in Sidhi, where his family has held political control for decades.