BHOPAL: In the previous few elections, the electorate in all major cities of Madhya Pradesh showed a distinct tilt towards BJP, and Jabalpur was no exception. Of eight assembly seats in the district, six are with BJP and Congress holds two. However, this time the battle seems evenly poised.Kamal Nath, who has considerable clout in Jabalpur, is leading the Congress, while BJP state president Rakesh Singh is from Jabalpur.The electoral battle for the Jabalpur West between sitting Congress MLA Tarun Bhanot and BJP candidate Harendrajeet Singh “Babbu” promises to be a close affair again. Bhanot had wrested the seat from “Babbu” by a wafer thin margin of 923 votes.BJP held the constituency from 1990 to 2013. Before that, Congress had an upper hand but gradually its penetration among voters diminished and Bhanot’s slender victory in 2013 — despite the Modi wave — was no mean feat.“Babbu” having been retained by the BJP would do his best to wrest the seat from Bhanot and prove the decision of the party right. “Babbu” had won the seat three times in succession — 1998, 2003 and 2008 — before losing it by less than 1,000 votes in 2013.The electoral rivalry between Anchal Sonkar of BJP and Lakhan Ghanghoriya of Congress in Jabalpur East (SC reserved) seat is ‘legendary’, supporters of both parties say. In 2008, Ghanghoriya beat Sonkar, three-term MLA from the seat, but in 2013, Sonkar hit back and grabbed the seat.Sonkar, who won the seat in 1993 for the first time, had contested 1990 election from Gotegaon (reserved) seat. He is in fray from Jabalpur East constituency for the sixth time, five times he has won with the exception of 2008.Jabalpur North-Central seat used to be called Central before delimitation of seats in 2008. This seat has always been with the BJP since 1985 except for an occasion when byelection was held in 2000 following the death of BJP heavyweight from the constituency Onkar Tiwari.Naresh Saraf of the Congress had won the seat then. However, in 2003, 2008 and 2013 election, the seat was won by Sharad Jain of BJP, who is in fray for the party in this election too. The Congress has given ticket to a fresh face — Vinay Saxena. The contest could prove to be a little difficult for Jain this time as former Bharatiya Janta Yuva Morcha (BJYM) state president Dheeraj Pateriya is also in the ring as a rebel BJP candidate.Pateriya was a member of party’s national executive but decided to contest the election as an independent candidate when party decided to go with the same candidate.Jabalpur Cantonment seat has remained with Rohani family for several terms. Former assembly Speaker and BJP stalwart Ishwardas Rohani had wrested the seat from Congress in 1993. He won three successive elections in 2003, 2008 and 2013. After his death in 2013, BJP fielded his son Ashok Rohani, who won the seat by over 50,000 votes. BJP has for long been on a strong footing here.Sihora seat of Jabalpur district got reserved for ST after 2008 delimitation exercise and in the two subsequent elections, BJP won the seat. Nanadini Maravi, who won in 2008 and 2013, is in the fray again for the saffron party, while Congress has fielded BJP rebel Khiladi Sigh Armo against her.While Sehora seat got reserved for ST following delimitation, Bargi assembly seat in Jabalpur got de-reserved after the exercise. Pratibha Singh of the BJP has won the seat twice ever since. Congress has fielded Sanjay Yadav from the seat. Pratibha Singh’s daughter-in-law Jyoti Singh, who is a widow, is also in the fray on Samajwadi Party ticket.Panagar seat also reserved for ST before 2008 got de-reserved in the delimitation exercise. In the subsequent election, BJP had given ticket to Narendra Tripathi, who won the seat but in 2013 election, he was denied ticket and Sushil Tiwari was given BJP ticket, who, too, won the election.BJP heavyweight from Jabalpur Ajay Vishnoi, had lost the election to Neelesh Awasthi of the Congress in 2013. His traditional seat, Katangi, had got scrapped in delimitation exercise. He won from Patan seat in 2008, where he was shifted by the party. But, he lost the election from Patan in 2013 as minister in Shivraj cabinet and announced not to contest election from Patan again. But, the party has fielded him again from the same seat.

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