Ahead of the much-awaited by-election in Madhya Pradesh, where former Congress colleagues Sachin Pilot and Jyotiradtiya Scindia would be ranging on opposite sides, a senior party leader said that AICC general secretary in-charge of UP, Priyanka Gandhi, will also be campaigning in the state. Earlier, top leaders in the party had asked the former Rajasthan deputy Chief Minister to campaign in the Gwalior-Chambal region against his old friend Scindia.
Former Public Relations Minister of the state, PC Sharma, on Wednesday said that Gandhi is expected to visit Ma Pitambara Peeth, a temple in MP's Datiya district. It is obvious that she will be meeting the public and locals in nearby districts including Datiya, Bhind, Morena, Gwalior besides others, said the minister.
According to sources, Priyanka is expected to campaign at at least six seats in the region which have been heavily banked on Scindia. The party, which has reportedly made all arrangements for the campaign, are yet to release an official schedule for the same.
Meanwhile, mocking Gandhi's scheduled campaigning in the state, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said that the Congress party was going through a leadership crisis and had to forcefully resort to importing leaders from outside. Urban Administration and Development minister Bhupendra Singh said that the Congress always loses wherever Priyanka Gandhi goes for campaigning.
The saffron party has also repeatedly claimed that after Scindia’s exit from Congress, the grand old party had no prominent leader in the Gwalior region who could match the 'popularity of Scindia'.
A total of 28 seats in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly will be witnessing by-polls this year, of which 16 are in the Gwalior-Chambal region.