Bhopal: Politics draws strange people to its magnetic field. Congress candidates' list for Madhya Pradesh Lok Sabha elections is a clear example for this.
Apart from the seasoned netas, including former chief minister Digvijaya Singh (a BE in mechanical engineering), Congress's list has a few greenhorns also. One of them is a Padma Shri award winner and a folk singer.
Prahlad Tipaniya has conducted hundreds of shows across India and abroad with his folk singers' group. He also teaches the unique form of Malwi folk style of Kabir Bhajans to young generation. The shows and teaching lessons are enough to keep him busy but this time around he has decided to learn a few notes of political ragas.
Prahlad Tipaniya will be contesting on Congress ticket from Dewas Lok Sabha constituency (reserved).
Born in Luniyakheda village in Shajapur district, an assembly segment of Dewas Lok Sabha seat, Tipanaiya performs unique Malwi folk style singing of Kabir Bhajans with a group of tambura, khartal, manjira, dholak, harmonium, timki and violin players.
This 65-year-old retired school teacher was more than happy to contest the elections. His name was announced in the second list of Congress, which has already picked 22 candidates out of the 29 in Madhya Pradesh. Rest of the seven will be declared soon. The Congress's list has a few more new names in it.
“I thank the party for selecting me as a candidate and hope to live up to its expectations. I will continue to serve the people like I have always done in the past,” Tipaniya said. He belongs to Balai Samaj which has a considerable number of voters in the reserved Lok Sabha constituency.
Tipaniya's association with any political party is just two months old. On February 20, Congress's Bhopal candidate and former chief minister Digvijaya Singh had come to Maksi to attend Kabir Yatra where Prahlad enthralled the audience with Malwi folk singing. This was enough for Singh, a seasoned politician, to sense the mood of the voters. He recommended Tipaniya as the candidate for the seat.
His name came as a surprise to other Congress camps. A few days ago, a mural of Tipaniya painted on the walls of Indore district jail was covered by jail authorities after he got a Congress ticket.
The painting, part of Indore Municipal Corporation’s beautification drive, Tipaniya was portrayed singing with Swachch Survekshan 2019 written on one corner.
In 2014, BJP’s Manohar Utwal had won the Dewas Lok Sabha seat. However, if there is no change in voting patterns witnessed in the 2018 Assembly polls, the Congress has an edge here.
Judge in polls
With lack of any wave, the BJP too has fielded a civil judge.
The party has picked 35-year-old Mahendra Solanki, a civil judge, known for social work, in Dewas seat. He too belongs to Balai Samaj that has a sizeable chunk of votes in Dewas reserved parliamentary constituency.
Radiologist in fray
Radiologist Govind Muzaalda, who is in his mid-fifties, had taken voluntary retirement three years ago after working at Khargone district hospital for years. He did this to set up his sonography centre – Nidan. However, his plans changed suddenly when the Congress approached him with a ticket from Khargone (reserved) Lok Sabha constituency in Malwa-Nimar region of Madhya Pradesh.
The seat was won by BJP’s Subhash Patel in 2014. However, according to 2018 assembly results, the BJP has an edge here.
“Though this would be my first brush with electoral politics, I do hope to perform well as the Congress wants to work for the overall development of the society. I have support from all the senior party leaders and party workers. I took VRS from the government job for personal reasons. Once I set up my sonography centre, I decided to help people coming to me. And now I have been rewarded with a party ticket,” Govind Muzaalda told Onmanorama.
The newly elected Congress government in Madhya Pradesh is marching into the Lok Sabha elections with a belief to multiply its assembly success. At present, the Congress has 3 seats in a state with 29 Lok Sabha constituencies. In the LS polls, the BJP wants to regain the ground it lost in the Assembly elections.
So far the Congress has declared 22 candidates, while the BJP has announced names of 18 for the four-phased elections beginning on April 29 in the state.
