BJP's plan to 'woo' Cong MLAs to reduce dependence on Scindia in by-polls

Bhopal-based senior journalist and political analyst Rakesh Dixit is of the view that the BJP is doing this to reduce Scindia's influence on the Chouhan government

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Madhya Pradesh is going all out to woo Congress legislators. In the past two weeks, the party has poached three Congress MLAs — Pradyuman Singh Lodhi, Sumitra Devi Kasdekar, and Narayan Patel — to consolidate its position ahead of the crucial by-elections.

The plan was readied during the recent Cabinet expansion and portfolio allocation in the state. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan took more than three months to expand his Cabinet, and when it happened, Congress defectors and Jyotiraditya Scindia-supporting MLAs managed to get the lion’s share of offices. This left many senior