Digvijaya's Last Stand

Digvijaya Singh makes a comeback to the Rajgarh Lok Sabha constituency after 33 years as the Congress candidate, employing a grassroots-style campaign. The contest is expected to be fierce

- Rahul Noronha

It's a cruel 40 degrees in Rajgarh, the north-central Madhya Pradesh district that shares its border with Rajasthan. But the group of men assembled under a neem tree in Sonkatch village within the Narsinghgarh sub-division do not seem to be noticing it. Dressed in colourful headgear, they are engrossed instead in an animated conversation as they wait for the arrival of Digvijaya Singh. The former chief minister has been nominated by the Congress to contest in the Rajgarh Lok Sabha constituency after 33 years. Just as their conversation peaks, Singh makes an entrance at the village chaupal and proceeds straight to the temple to seek the blessings of the local deity before commencing his address to the gathered crowd.

Singh first entered the Rajgarh electoral scene in 1984, securing success only to face defeat the following election in 1989. He regained the seat in 1991 in a close battle against BJP ideologue Pyarelal Khandelwal. Elevated to chief ministership two years later, Singh maintained an interest in both the affairs of the district as well as the dynamics in the LS seat. A lot has changed in the constituency in 33 years, with sharper caste distinctions and heightened demands for employment.

Challenging Singh is two-term BJP MP Rodmal Nagar, who won with a margin of 431,000 votes the last time. Recognising the scale of the challenge, Singh approaches what he deems his final election with a fresh strategy-a grassroots-focused campaign mirroring panchayat-style engagements to counter the influence of the Modi phenomenon.