Can ‘Hanuman Bhakt’ Kailash Vijayvargiya Give 'Sanjeevani' to BJP in MP's Indore?

For 16 years, Indore Member of Parliament (MP) Kailash Vijayvargiya did not take grains in his meal. Reason: His solemn promise that he would build an ‘asht dhatu Hanuman statue’. The statue now stands tall, almost as tall as Vijayvargiya in his constituency of years, Indore.

Owing to his ability to build organisations and negotiate, and the fact that he knows West Bengal, he was made in-charge of Bengal politics during the state polls. A job he did, despite knowing that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would need a lot of effort to unseat the Trinamool Congress (TMC).

So as it happened, he got a call from a senior BJP leader asking him to contest the assembly polls in MP. He refused. However, when the Home Minister made the same request, saying the party wanted him to, Vijayvargiya agreed. He left the seat to them. Vijayvargiya was asked to contest from Indore. This is a seat with a sitting MLA from the Congress, Sanjay Shukla, who is confident of a win.

Vijayvargiya told News18: “Initially, I didn’t want to contest. I am happy being an MP. But I am a Hanuman bhakt… I listened to the party’s aadesh. Also, I thought my son would get a ticket, but my party has the ‘one family one ticket’ rule."

His son has been denied a ticket, so Vijayvargiya is now the only one.

THE BJP’s CALCULATION

The BJP is making its MPs contest for the post of MLAs in areas where the BJP is weak or where the Congress has a sitting MLA. The calculation is that the MP would influence at least 7-10 seats.

For example, Prahlad Patel may be contesting from Narsinghpur, but is spending a lot of time in Chhindwara, from where Congress’s Kamal Nath is contesting.

CONTROVERSY’S FAVOURITE

Vijayvargiya has been a controversy’s child over some of his comments such as the one when he called women “surpanakha" for not dressing traditionally. But he wants to forget it. “I have now accepted the fact that I am contesting to win, and I will. Also, I am a party person," he said.

What about CM ambitions? “There is one PM who will be the face in all five states going for polls. I am not against Shivraj Singh Chouhan becoming the CM, but now anyone can become."

He remains confident that despite talk of anti-incumbency, there is no such factor. He has accused Nath of failing to fulfil promises. “If I say I will get you a plane which you can fly and it doesn’t, what’s the point?"

‘MP KE MAN MEIN MODI’

The BJP’s plan is not to project anyone as the CM. It repeatedly refers to the poster, which shows many local leaders, including Vijayvargiya. This, apart from the main slogan of polls in the state – ‘MP ke Man Mein Modi. He will be the trump card.

Meanwhile, Vijayvargiya’s supporters have kept a sankalp, so that he becomes the CM.

Kailash smiles them off, inviting our team instead to have prasad from the Hanuman Mandir he built on the Pir Parvat in his constituency.